A Bandit's Trust
by XfreakXninjaX
Summary: Abandoned, alone, and forgotten: these three words described Haruka perfectly before she became a bandit. Her life as a bandit wasn't too much better, either; she struggled to survive on a daily basis, that was, until she finally proved herself worthy to the bandits. The thing is, Shinigami and bandits don't exactly get along, so what will happen when these two factions meet?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: NEW STORY! It actually took me a long time to figure out how I wanted to start this one, but I finally just went for it! This one is another Vaizard, I have a mild obsession with them as you can tell, but I promise I do have some stories that don't involve another Vaizard… Anyways, this one is a Kensei/OC story, so I'm not sure how it's going to do, because I haven't really seen many of those, but I guess only time will tell. So, that being said, if you do just so happen to like this one, favorite, follow, or review it, 'cuz, you know, it makes me happy! I actually have three chapters to start you guys out on, too!**_

Chapter One- Memories That Make Us

_"Oh, Haruka. Do you know how many people would kill to have beautiful hair like yours?" _

_The compliment of a loving mother: what else could a young girl want? That young girl was Haruka, and she was the youngest child of a high-ranking noble family in Rukongai. To her, her family was perfect. She had a beautiful loving mother, and a strong, handsome, brave father. Her older brother was a little annoying, but she had learned to deal with that over the few short years that she had been alive. And in moments like these, when her mother was combing her long, dark brown hair and telling her how beautiful it was, it was easy for Haruka to ignore him. _

_ "Thank you, Mother," Haruka replied. _

_ "Tch! It's the only thing pretty about her," her brother scoffed. Haruka knew that she wasn't the prettiest of children. She was pale and gangly, almost skeleton-like, but what people thought to be her most unattractive assets were her eyes. Her eyes had a lovely shape to them, but their color was a different story. Her irises were completely yellow in color, not gold like her mother's eyes, but yellow. Most of the people around her thought that Haruka's eyes reminded them of a wild animal's eyes, an untamable beast that couldn't be contained. She knew that she wasn't a pretty child, but was that really something that anyone could hold against her? Surely she would grow into her body someday…_

_ "Zaku! Watch your tongue!" her mother warned, although it wasn't in a particularly scolding tone. It was like her mother wasn't angry at her brother for his comment; it was like she acknowledging the truth of the statement, but telling him not to say it in front of Haruka like that. And of course, Haruka noticed that small detail. She let it slide, though, because her family was perfect, right?_

_ "There's a storm coming in," her father commented. _

_ "Oh, yay. We get to hear the little baby cry some more," Zaku sarcastically scoffed. Sure, Haruka was afraid of thunderstorms, but she was a child. Could he really blame her for that? He sure as hell was going to try…_

_ "Zaku," her mother warned._

_ "What? Someone has to toughen her up," Zaku muttered. Haruka's father was about to say something else, but his statement was cut off when one of their servants ran into the room._

_ "My lord! We're under a-!" The servant couldn't finish his statement, probably due the sword that was suddenly skewering his abdomen._

_ "We're under attack!" her mother nearly whimpered, and Haruka could see the woman trembling. _

_ "Damn!" her father yelled, standing up and running towards the back of the room, making his way to the back hallways to find the building exit that was hidden there. _

_ "Where do you think you're going?" Haruka looked up, and saw one of the biggest men that she had ever seen in her life. His face was covered by a black mask, but she could see his eyes. They looked murderous; he was like a wolf hunting its prey, and his prey just so happened to be Haruka's family. _

_ "Zaku, run!" Haruka's mother yelled. Before she ran off herself, she did something that neither the bandit nor Haruka was expecting: she pushed Haruka onto the floor in front of the bandit and she ran off. Haruka's entire family had abandoned her, left her to die at the hand of this bandit. Haruka was too shocked to say anything; she didn't curse her family's name or yell for help: she didn't do anything._

_ "Ah, poor baby! Did your mommy and daddy leave you all by yourself?" the bandit mocked. Haruka's eyes grew wide and her whole body started to shake. This monster of a man couldn't even find it in himself to be merciful to an abandoned child._

_ "W-why are you doing this?" Haruka stuttered._

_ "Hah. You wouldn't understand, kid. You've been spoiled and cooped up in here your whole life. Not everyone gets a life of luxury like you, and sometimes, just to make it by, we have to take from people like your family. And if I have to kill you so that I can eat tonight, then so be it," the bandit told her._

_ "But…I don't want to die," Haruka whimpered._

_ "Tough luck, kid. You don't have the guts to save your own life," the bandit told her. He reached down and wrapped his hand around Haruka's throat. His grip was tight; it was like a snake had coiled itself around Haruka's neck and it was squeezing the very life out of her. She reached up and frantically tried to scratch at the bandits arm, but he didn't budge, only tightening his grip even more. _

_ "Is that it, kid? Is that how little your life means to you? At least try to make this interesting for me," the bandit snickered. _

_ "I don't want to die," Haruka thought, a tear rolling down her face. She didn't want to die, and she surely did not want to suffocate to death. _

_ "But what can I do?" Haruka asked herself, her panic beginning to set in. As a few more tears rolled down her face, she broke her gaze away from the man that was trying to take her life with his bare hands. She tried to look around the room, but it was useless: the bandit's grip was way too tight to let her move her neck. However, she did notice that the bandit had made a mistake. He had left his sword in the servant that he had just killed, and that was a window of opportunity for Haruka. _

_ At that point, Haruka's instincts kicked in. It was almost like she wasn't completely in control of her body. She squirmed violently against the bandits grip, and surprisingly, his hand loosened a little bit, letting her move her head down slightly. Once she had enough moving room, Haruka opened her mouth and sank her teeth into the bandit's hand as hard as she could, and once she tasted the blood flowing into her mouth, the bandit let go of her entirely._

_ "You little bitch!" the bandit screamed. Haruka quickly dived under the bandit and crawled her way over to the dead servant that lay behind him. She reached out and grabbed the hilt of the blade, pulling it with all of her might. She must have had an overload of adrenaline coursing through her veins, because the blade actually started moving. Once the blade started to slide out of the servant's body, Haruka had the overwhelming urge to vomit because of how it felt, but she knew that she had to keep it together if she wanted to survive. _

_ "You're gonna pay for that!" the bandit yelled. Haruka couldn't even finish pulling the blade out when she felt the bandit grab her by the shoulders, but as he lifted her up, she kept a death grip on the blade. The bandit didn't even notice as the sword finally came out of the servant, or that Haruka had it in her hands. As the bandit started to try to throw Haruka, she quickly shoved the sword under her arm, stabbing it into the bandit's chest._

_ "Shit!" the bandit yelled in pain, dropping Haruka to the floor again. Without missing a beat, Haruka was back on her feet and reaching for the blade. As soon as the sword was in her hands again, she finished pushing it through the bandit's chest until only the hilt was visible to her. Blood showered out of the bandit's mouth, drenching Haruka's arms. She tried to let go of the sword, but as she did, the bandit reached up and grabbed them._

_ "Nice job, kid," the bandit coughed, making more blood land on Haruka. As her adrenaline started to fade away, Haruka started trembling again and a sick feeling crept its way into her stomach. _

_ "You proved me wrong. You showed guts, saving yourself like that. You're not much physically, but you've got good instincts," the bandit told her, his voice fading with each word. "You've proven yourself kid; you're worthy enough to live. Take the stone symbol from around my neck; there's a village of bandits nearby. Go to them, and they'll let you in when they see that symbol. It'll be a hard life kid, but it's better than nothing."_

_ The bandit let out one last breath, and then his arms fell from Haruka's, and his body slumped to the ground. As the sword was pulled from Haruka's hands, she fell to her knees. Thunder cracked in the distance, but she paid it no mind. She couldn't keep her eyes off of the blood that was on her hands, the blood that stained her kimono, the blood that seemed to tarnish her very soul. _

_She had killed a man, and even though she had only been defending herself from a man that wanted to kill her, she still felt the urge to puke at what she had done. She felt dirty, like she needed to be cleaned down to her very bones. Maybe everyone had been right; maybe she was some kind of wild animal. But then again, if she was an animal, she wouldn't feel remorse for the life she had taken, would she? She wasn't an animal, but she certainly wasn't a bandit either._

* * *

"OY!" Haruka's eyes shot open. That dream…She hadn't had it in a long time. In all honesty, she didn't care about that part of her life anymore. By the time she was finally able to get up and leave her old home, there was no one outside waiting for her. She had figured that all of the other bandits had left to chase her family, if she could even call them that, so it wasn't like she had a difficult time leaving the place. The most vivid part that she had of that memory was when she first walked outside. It had been raining, pouring in fact, but that rain water washed away some of the blood that had been on her. It was like being born again, and as the thunder had roared in the sky above her, Haruka accepted her new life. She wasn't a noble anymore; she was going to have to fight to survive, but she wasn't afraid of that. Hell, at that point, she wasn't really afraid of anything anymore. She had nothing to lose.

As she looked at her surroundings, Haruka realized that she had dozed off. She had been sitting against a tree, and as the hours passed by, the tree's trunk had become a pillow for her. When she looked up in front her, Haruka saw the person that had yelled at her. It was one of her men, one of her bandits.

It took a while, but Haruka had finally broken down and gone to the bandit village. She fought through everything that they threw at her tooth and nail to survive, and at the end of the day, they accepted her. She had actually become quite a successful bandit, and was even leading her own troop of outlaws now.

"What is it, Kenshin?" Haruka muttered.

"Nothin'. I just thought it was high time that you woke up. What kind of a fearless leader are you, sleeping on the job?" Kenshin mocked. Haruka only scoffed at him.

"The bored kind," Haruka commented, standing up and stretching.

"You know, I remember when you first joined us. You were a skinny ass thing, but I'll be damned if you aren't fine as hell now," Kenshin told her. And he wasn't lying. Haruka had grown into her body, quite well, in fact. She wasn't anywhere near slight and slender like people thought she would have been; no, her curves were voluptuous and she was positively stacked. She had a strong, fit body, which was easily noticeable in the outfit she was wearing: a tight, black bodysuit, half of which was solid cloth, the other half being made of a net like mesh.

"I mean, seriously. You were flat as a board when you joined us and now…Whew. I mean, damn, Haruka. What did they feed you? 'Cuz they need to give it to all of the girls," Kenshin ranted.

"Kenshin, you do this every time. There is not a chance in hell," Haruka told him.

"A man can try, right?" Kenshin laughed.

"Man, she could have your ass killed at any moment. Are you sure that's a game you wanna try playing?" one of her other bandits, Kyuzo joked.

"Like you haven't tried before," his brother, Hiyate grumbled.

"And you haven't?" Haruka commented, propping herself against the tree.

"I didn't say that," Hiyate told her. "I just pointed out that he had."

"Mhm, sure," Kenshin mocked.

"At least my attempts are classy! You are just plain lewd around her!" Hiyate yelled at him.

"I am a bandit. What else do you expect?" Kenshin challenged.

"Oh, I didn't realize. How foolish of me," Hiyate sarcastically grumbled.

"He's a bandit, too, Kenshin, but he still has some class," Kyuzo stated, trying to back his brother up.

"Hmph, I'm starting to doubt the fact that he is one of us," Kenshin muttered, trying to get a rise out of the brothers.

"Why you-!" Kyuzo started.

"I swear…I don't lead you guys: I babysit you. No one else wants to deal with you, and somehow, I got stuck with your asses," Haruka commented, cutting Kyuzo's rant off before it even got started. "At least Toshiie is behaving."

"Don't bring me into this," the said bandit commented, running his hand through his hair. He was the only one of them that wasn't on the ground: he was sitting on a tree branch several feet off the ground, trying to get some good leverage on his surroundings.

"Ah, poor baby. Do you wanna take a nap like our leader did? I promise I won't wake you up. I'm not an ass like Kenshin," Kyuzo mocked.

"Your attempts to rile me are amusing, Kyuzo," Toshiie commented, with no emotion whatsoever in his voice and a blank facial expression to match it.

"Psh, quit trying to be like Dead-Eye," Kyuzo scoffed.

"Dead-Eye?" Hiyate asked. "Who's that?"

"Me," Haruka told him.

"Where the hell did that nickname come from?" Hiyate wondered.

"Have you ever looked into her eyes before? It's like looking at death itself because her expression is so stony. And if you're fighting her, it's like lookin' into the eyes of a predator, and if you see her with that expression, you really will be looking at death soon," Kenshin explained.

"Dead-Eye," Hiyate repeated. "I figured your nickname would have something to do with an animal, 'cuz that's what I think of when I see your eyes."

"Animal, predator, same difference," Kenshin commented.

"Eh, with a look that dead in expression, I think Dead-Eye is the most appropriate name out there," Kyuzo added.

"Although, I guess it could have had something to do with her tattoo," Kenshin pondered. Everyone looked to Haruka, more specifically at the top of the left side of her hipbone, where her outfit had been cut to reveal the small tattoo that was there. It was the number '96', which was actually a very significant number to Haruka _**(Author's Note: As a matter of fact, for future reference, no, I could not resist…X'D)**_.

"Uh, should I even ask what that means?" Hiyate asked.

"Sure, go ahead. I'm sure it won't kill you to," Toshiie mocked.

"It's because she-" Kenshin began, only to be cut off.

"Haruka-san!" a scout called out, running to Haruka as fast as he could.

"What's wrong, Minato?" Haruka asked him. "Is the caravan on its way?"

"It isn't a merchant caravan! It's the Shinigami!" Minato informed her.

"I see…Shit! They must be doing their little tour…I thought they weren't due here for another week," Haruka scoffed.

Due to recent uprisings in the outer districts of Rukongai, the Gotei 13 had decided to make a showing of itself to prove to any possible rebels that their attempt at a mutiny would be futile. To do this, they decided to gather the majority of their captains and lieutenants and march through some of the outer villages. Haruka personally thought that the whole thing was stupid: not only were the Shinigami leaving their base of operations majorly unguarded, but they were also sticking their noses in places where they did not belong. They needed to leave the outer districts to their business and worry about the damn Hollows that were plaguing the area. That was their job, right?

"That's what we were led to believe, but obviously that was wrong. But that's not all. This is the last tour that they're doing, and nearly all of the captains are in it, along with at least half of the lieutenants and a few other officers," Minato explained.

"You have got to be kidding me," Haruka breathed, running her hand through her hair, that was so short in fact, that it didn't even go past her ears. "That means the damn Captain-Commander is here!"

"He is," Minato confirmed.

"Oh, man. That is shitty news," Kyuzo commented.

"What are we going to do?" Hiyate asked. "Run or hide?"

"Neither," Haruka answered.

"What?!" Kenshin shouted, shocked and horrified by her answer.

"They can probably sense us by now, so if we run, they'll think we were up to something. If we hide, they'll think that we're going to jump them, and I highly doubt that you want to fight ALL of those captains, do you?" Haruka explained. "So, we're just gonna sit here and look casual."

"Look casual? Our outfits are nothing close to casual. They'll know what we are in an instant," Toshiie scoffed.

"Obviously," Haruka stated. "But, if we do nothing to startle them or give them a rise, then there will be no need for them to fight us, will there? We'll just be here minding our own business. Who are they to automatically assume that we were up to something?"

"But we were up to something," Hiyate commented.

"That is not the point," Haruka told him. "Just act casual and friendly."

"Friendly?" Kenshin repeated.

"Yes, friendly. Friendly in the crass bandit way, of course; we don't want to completely act like we aren't bandits. That would look real suspicious, you know?" Haruka explained. "Toshiie, you act real casual. I would hate for them to think you were trying to swoop down and attack them."

"You got it, Dead-Eye," Toshiie agreed, stretching out across the tree limb he was on so it looked like he was trying to nap up there.

"Good. Everyone else, stay as you are. Minato, go stand by a tree or something, but not by anyone else, so it doesn't look like you're grouping up," Haruka ordered. Minato nodded in agreement, and walked a few feet away from her to sit on a nearby rock.

"Alright, everyone, make this look legit," Haruka added. Kenshin started to eat on an apple that he had brought with him; Minato started reading a book; Kyuzo started talking to Hiyate, and Kenshin occasionally commented on the conversation between bites; Haruka, on the other hand, just started messing with her nails, like any good, average female bandit would do.

"We're fucked," Toshiie whispered, laughing to himself afterwards.

"You might be," Kenshin retorted. "We'll throw you to them and then the rest of us'll run."

"You guys know what to do if this gets bad," Haruka told them, giving them one last order before she heard the Shinigami getting closer. She had been in situations much more strenuous than this, but Haruka couldn't help the light fear that was rooting itself in her. These men were her responsibility, and she would be damned if she didn't do everything in her power to protect them. If things got bad, they were going to run while she distracted the Shinigami all by herself.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two- The Luck Just Keeps Getting Better And Better…

"Ah! Finally some new faces around here!" Kenshin called out as the Shinigami finally reached them. Haruka could only cringe and shake her head at him. This group of Shinigami was quite the assorted bunch. Some of them looked pretty cheery, while the others looked somewhat pissed off and irritated at the fact that they were out here doing this march.

"Yeah, I was getting' tired of your face anyways, Kenshin," Kyuzo called over to him.

"You keep telling yourself that, Kyuzo. It might be true one day," Kenshin retorted.

"My, my, what do we have here?" one of the captains sang. He stood out from the rest due to the fact that he was wearing a pink kimono over his captain's haori.

"Tch! Bandits," a captain with long blond hair commented.

"Very observational, Captain Hirako," a lieutenant with glasses stated, making the said captain scoff. Some of the captains were on high alert at the sight of the bandits, but the rest were unfazed, which was a good sign to Haruka. She was alarmed, however, by the fact that most of the captains and lieutenants were staring at her, most with concern in their eyes, like they didn't think that she was here willingly, like she was a captive or something.

"And what do you thugs think you're doing out here?" a captain with short, spiked hair demanded. Haruka couldn't help but note just how pissed off this guy looked, like he hadn't had a good day in centuries.

"What you see is what you get, son," Haruka commented, deciding to take some charge of the situation to show them that she was here willingly. The spikey haired captain gave her a very annoyed look, but another captain cut him off before he could say anything.

"Ah, but this isn't a place for a lady to be, especially not with bandits!" The captain that had spoken this time had long, distinguishably white hair, and he was the one that had looked at Haruka with the most concern. Haruka was silent for a moment, before she turned to look over Hiyate.

"See, Hiyate? I told you that you weren't cut out for the bandit life," Haruka teased, although the expression on her face hadn't changed from its usual stony phase. Hiyate seemed to choke on the air itself, and Toshiie couldn't help but laugh from up in his tree.

"Damn, that was cold," Kyuzo snickered.

"I didn't ask for a smartass remark," the spikey haired captain grumbled, walking closer to Haruka. She didn't budge as he stared her right in the eye.

"Hah! This guy!" Kenshin laughed. "Trying to intimidate, Dead-Eye, of all people!"

"Dead-Eye?" the angry captain repeated. He was silent for a moment.

"Tch, that's appropriate," he commented, finally looking away from Haruka. Haruka couldn't help but do an inner cheer of victory for herself.

"Enough, Captain Muruguma!" an elderly man yelled. It was obvious that he was the Captain-Commander, especially since the pissed off captain conceded and backed away from Haruka.

"You fine, orderly people wouldn't happen to be waiting for anyone, would you?" a woman with dark purple hair asked. _**(Author's Note: This is Kirio, not Yoruichi. I kind of just felt like mentioning her for once, you know, before she goes to Squad Zero.)**_

"Whatever do you mean?" Kyuzo replied.

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about. Something like a caravan, yes? One filled with money and goods, and not Shinigami?" the female captain countered.

"We have no idea what you're talking about," Haruka told her, with an innocent shrug of her shoulders.

"Enough of this nonsense. Which one of you is supposedly leading here?" the Captain-Commander demanded.

"That would be me," Haruka admitted. The captains all looked shocked.

"What?" Haruka demanded.

"That's weird for a woman to be in a band of bandits, much less leading them," Captain Hirako commented.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Haruka demanded, her voice having an edge to it now.

"You can't seriously be saying you're here willingly," the captain with the pink kimono asked her.

"If I remember correctly, you were very willing to join us all those years ago, weren't you, Haruka?" Kenshin asked her with a smirk.

"Yeah, but then again, I had no clue I would be leading your broke ass one day. If I had known that, I wouldn't have been so happy to join," Haruka told him.

"I can feel the ice from your heart all the way over here," Kenshin replied.

"Good," Haruka countered.

"Buffoons," Captain Muruguma scoffed.

"Ouch. That one hit me right here," Haruka told him sarcastically, pointing her thumb at her heart.

"What is your business out here?" the Captain-Commander demanded, slamming his cane on the ground.

"Hm? Nothing really. We're just taking a break before we continue our merry little way home," Haruka told him, unintimidated by him, which astonished some of the other captains.

"Sure you're not trying to cause trouble?" the captain with the pink kimono asked.

"Nope, especially not now. I mean, really, six of us against all of you guys? I mean, we're bandits, but we're not stupid," Haruka stated. "Well, most of us."

"Ice, Haruka, ice," Kenshin commented.

"I'm glad you knew I was referring to you," Haruka told him.

"She's not easing up on you today, is she, Kenshin?" Toshiie asked from his tree.

"Never," Kenshin scoffed.

"I see. Then allow us to pass," the Captain-Commander stated, fed up with the lot of them.

"Oh…I wasn't aware we were in your way. I'm hurt that you would assume we would try to stop you," Haruka replied. The Captain-Commander shook his head, and his grip on his cane was tightening dramatically.

"Continue the march!" he called out. The Shinigami all started to walk forward again, most of them direly confused by this group of bandits. The one that was called Captain Muruguma stayed still for a moment and stared Haruka down, like he was trying to figure her out or something. However, once the majority of the other Shinigami passed by, he gave up in his endeavors and joined his comrades. A lot of the Shinigami were scoffing insults at the bandits as they went by, but Haruka and her troop thought that they were hilarious.

"It was great talking to you guys! Come back anytime!" Kenshin called out.

"Let's not do that again," Minato breathed, hanging his head in his hands.

"And why not? I thoroughly enjoyed that," Kyuzo spat sarcastically.

"I think I lost of few years of my life from that," Toshiie commented, hopping down from his tree limb.

"No kidding," Hiyate agreed.

"Well, let's not go back on our word to our Shinigami friends. Let's end this break and continue our merry way home," Haruka told them.

"With pleasure," Kenshin agreed.

* * *

"What the hell is this shit?" Kenshin screamed. Haruka and her men had been unable to beat the darkness of the night as they were making their way back to their village, and as soon as the sun fell, the Hollows appeared. They were everywhere, and when the bandits were finally able to knock one off, at least three others took its place.

"Damn Hollows, man! You'd think those Shinigami would have taken care of these!" Minato yelled.

"Useless fools! They're too busy focused on shit that has nothing to do with them so they apparently can't do their jobs!" Toshiie screamed.

"Guys! Hiyate's leg is bleeding real bad back here!" Kyuzo called out.

"Get a tourniquet on it!" Haruka yelled back, stabbing through another Hollow's mask with her Sai blades.

"I'm working on it!" Kenshin replied.

"Shit, he's not gonna be able to run back!" Kenshin spat.

"One of us is going to have to carry him," Minato commented.

"Alright, listen up! We're going to have to run for it! We know this area, and we have set a ton of traps in it, so it's time to finally use them!" Haruka called.

"What's the plan, Dead-Eye?" Toshiie asked.

"We'll run until we reach the tree that we wrapped the red band around that's right by the canyon! When we get there, I'll take Hiyate and distract the Hollows while you guys spread out and get the explosives ready! We're gonna expand this canyon a little and bury the Hollows in it," Haruka explained.

"What's the signal?" Minato asked.

"Well, I don't exactly have my flares anymore, so I guess when you hear me yell like a dying bitch, then you'll know," Haruka told them.

"That's not encouraging," Kenshin commented.

"I'm not too thrilled with it myself," Haruka countered. "Make sure all of the ones that float are gone! We can't exactly kill them with a fall, can we?"

"I think we got 'em all," Toshiie observed.

"Good," Haruka stated. She quickly ran over to Kyuzo.

"Is he ready yet?" Haruka asked him.

"As ready as he can be," Kyuzo told her.

"Hey, I'll keep him safe, Kyuzo," Haruka assured him, throwing Hiyate's arm around her neck and picking him up.

"I know," Kyuzo agreed. Haruka gave him one more reassuring nod before she turned to the rest of her men.

"Now run like hell!" she yelled, and they took off. Out of everyone in the group, Haruka was the only one that knew the Shinigami technique called Shunpo, mainly due to the fact that she was the only one with an immense amount of spiritual pressure out of them, but there was no way in hell she was going to use the technique now and leave her troop behind. They were all pretty fast runners, though, so it wasn't long before they reached the outskirts of the canyon.

"Give them hell!" Kenshin called out, as he and the others ran off in different directions. Haruka slowed down a bit to entice the Hollows: if she seemed like easy, slow prey, they would see her as an easy meal, especially since she was carrying wounded prey with her.

"Come on, you mealy mouthed bastards! I dare you to try to eat me!" Haruka yelled. One of the Hollows shot something at her, and based on the way that it cut her upper arm, Haruka had to guess that it was some sort of blade.

"Shit!" she seethed, Shunpo'ing to dodge another blade. The other Hollows seemed to follow this one's lead, and they all started to fire projectiles at her, so Haruka took that as her queue to run away.

"Thirty-five," Haruka muttered, as she used a burst of Shunpo to jump forward a little. She didn't jump too far, though, because she didn't want to deter any of the Hollows. As she kept running, Haruka took a moment to look back at hunters. There were more of them now, and as she looked back at their empty, hollow eyes, she couldn't help the feeling of dread that washed over her. For a moment, she was back in her old home, on the floor, and staring into the eyes of the man that was going to kill her. Her thoughts were exactly the same as they had been back then: 'I don't want to die.'

"Seventy," she muttered. The fastest that her team had been able to arm the explosives was a minute and a half. These explosives were only to be used in an emergency, but all of the bandit teams practiced arming them just in case. She had about twenty more seconds to get the hell out of dodge before she and Hiyate joined the Hollows at the bottom of the giant pit.

Haruka quickly Shunpo'd to the edge of the canyon, where the end of a rope was tied to a nearby tree. She hurriedly grabbed the rope and cut the end that was closest to the tree. This was the main part of the plan that she did not look forward to: the other end of the rope was securely tied to a metal hook at the other side of the canyon, the side that wasn't armed with explosives. To get there, she was going to have to jump. She had done this plenty of times before in training, but she had both of her arms available then, not just one, and she also didn't have Hiyate's extra weight then, either.

There were so many things that could go wrong with this: the rope could break, her grip could fail, she could dislocate her shoulder or something, she could drop Hiyate, or Hollow might jump after her and somehow grab onto her and cause the rope to break or for her to drop Hiyate. Haruka's paranoia was flaring, big time, and it was not the most ideal time for that. She had a horde of Hollows chasing her, and she had to save herself and her men. So, she jumped.

Without another moment of hesitation, Haruka ran to the cliff of the canyon, held on to the rope tight, and jumped. Once the rope had stretched down all the way, a jerk radiated throughout Haruka's whole body as the weight of both Hiyate and Haruka herself pulled against Haruka's shoulder. One of her paranoid thoughts was put to rest, though, since luckily, her shoulder did not dislocate.

Haruka tightened her hold on Hiyate as they started to swing to the other side of the canyon. The wind was roaring against them, but they soared through it. As the wall of the opposite side of the canyon came closer, Haruka held her legs in front her. Once they hit the wall, her feet hit it first and she bent her knees to try to take the impact.

"Now! Let's show these shitheads not to mess with real bandits!" Haruka screamed at the top of lungs, and on cue, her troop of bandits unleashed a tempest of explosives on the Hollows and on the canyon. The explosives went off right under the edge of the canyon where the Hollows were all gathered. The explosions themselves killed quite a few Hollows, but once the blasts all went off, the whole cliff started to tumble down. Huge masses of earth and trees and Hollows all fell to the bottom of the canyon, which created quite a dust cloud.

"Damn miracle that that worked," Haruka breathed, and once she saw that nothing was going to come up out of the canyon, she started to pull herself and Hiyate up the rope. That was hard to do, though, so she didn't get very far. Luckily for her, however, her bandits were able to make their way to her side of the canyon, and when they reached her, they grabbed the other end of her rope and started to pull her up.

Haruka closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. She had lived to fight another day, and for that, she was grateful. As her men pulled her and her injured soldier out of the canyon, Haruka couldn't help but make a list of things that she had to do once they finally got back to their village. The first thing that she was going to do was take a sabbatical. Sure, she had never heard of a bandit taking a vacation, but if that was something that they didn't do, then she was sure as hell going to be the first.

"We've almost got you, chief!" Kenshin called own.

"I hear you!" Haruka called back, opening her yes and looking up at him. She was going to say some smartass comment to him, but something caught her eyes. She noticed two giant white dots in the sky, and as she looked closer, she saw that there were black columns under them and that the dots almost looked like faces. For a moment, Haruka felt like it would be better if she just let go of the rope and fell to her death.

"Fuck my life," Haruka cried, but low enough so her bandits wouldn't hear. First the damn Shinigami, then the damn Hollows, and now, a pair of damn Menos Grande. What other shit-storm could happen to make her day more difficult?

"Hiyate," Kyuzo breathed, pulling him off of Haruka's shoulder as they finally reached solid ground.

"Quiet," Haruka hushed them.

"Why? What is it?" Kenshin whispered.

"Don't look back, but there are two Menos Grande in the woods behind you," Haruka told them and all of their eyes shot open.

"You guys are going to go down this rope slowly and one at a time. Remember, about half way down the canyon wall is a cavern that turns into an underground passage that goes about half way to the village. You guys get in there and run like hell. Wait for me at the exit, but if I'm not there in two hours, go back without me," Haruka ordered in a hushed tone.

"But Haruka," Minato began.

"Nah, no arguments, Minato. I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be," Haruka reprimanded him.

"Just do me a favor and don't die out there, Haruka," Minato conceded.

"Trust me, I'll try. Now go! Kyuzo, take your brother," Haruka ordered. They all nodded, and one by one, they all started to climb down the rope.

"You guys better make it," Haruka breathed. She finally looked behind her, and luckily, the Menos had not noticed her. She was going to have to use this to her advantage. She reached back into one of the pouches that was on her sash and she took out a bundle of metal cord. The cord was thin enough so it couldn't be seen when it was stretched out, but it was sharp and sturdy enough to cut through just about anything. It was a hard tool to come by, so only the squadron leaders were given a ration of it.

"I better make it," Haruka added.

She was as quiet as a mouse as she Shunpo'd closer to the feet of the first Menos Grande. There was a good distance between the two, which was the only reason her plan had a chance at working. She quickly circled some of the cord around a decent sized tree and fastened it tightly. She continued to Shunpo around the trees that surrounded the Menos, and she also brought the cord up higher and higher, but she didn't get too high so the Menos wouldn't see her. By the time she was finished, the cord was wrapped around the circle of trees several times, enclosing the single Menos.

"Let's see how stupid you guys really are," Haruka muttered, throwing a rock off in the distance. The Menos closest to her heard it, and he started stomping his way over to the source of the noise. As he was moving, Haruka quickly grabbed the section of the cord that was closest to the tree she had fastened it to and she prepared herself for what was about to happen. She had never been so grateful for her thick gloves before.

The Menos walked right into a huge division of the cord wall, and as soon as he hit it, the rest of the cord tore through the trees that it was around. Haruka hastily pulled the cord that was in her hands with all of her might, causing it to tighten around the Menos, and the situation went perfectly according to plan. The Menos lost its balance and started to fall, however, it started to fall in Haruka's direction. She quickly Shunpo'd away, and just as she did, an explosion went off in the exact spot that she had been in.

As she looked behind her, Haruka came to a startling realization. The second Menos Grande had actually spotted her when she was pulling on the cord, and as his buddy was falling, he shot off a Cero in an attempt to hit her, but when she Shunpo'd away, he ended up blasting through his buddy instead. Maybe fate didn't have it out for her after all, because that was a phenomenon of sheer luck.

"Lucky me: one down, one to go," Haruka commented. The thing was, she hadn't thought this far ahead. She had a plan for the first Menos, but not the second. This was a dilemma, and the second Menos Grande was now staring right at her, and he was walking closer to her.

"I spoke too soon," Haruka mumbled. She did notice something at that point, however. The first Menos Grande's body had dissipated, and the cord was still in its place. Most of it was lying on the ground, but a good bit of it was still tightly hanging to the trees. If this one was as stupid as the first, then she might just make it out of this. She looked behind her just to make sure, though, and just as she thought, the canyon wasn't too far away. And the Menos was just the right height to top it all off.

"Hey, you! Big ugly! Why don't you come on over here and try to get a bite of this tasty bandit ass!" Haruka shouted. She started to pace back a little bit. The Menos had other plans, however, and he shot off another Cero at her. She quickly Shunpo'd to the side to dodge, but the impact from the blast through her off balance and she hit the ground hard, scraping her side badly. She didn't even have to look down at it to know that it was bleeding.

"Jerk," Haruka scoffed. She quickly Shunpo'd back to where she had been before the Menos decided to make her day even brighter, and she continued to entice it.

"Come on, just a little bit more… Got ya' now!"

The Menos had walked directly into the cord, and the best thing about these tall bastards was that their balance was awful, so as soon the Menos Grande's legs hit the cord, it started tumbling down. Haruka Shunpo'd away one last time, and once she knew she was a safe distance away, she looked back to admire her work. The Menos was falling toward the canyon, on top of it, more or less. It wasn't going to fall into it, though. No, it was just a bit too tall for that, but it was the perfect height for its head to crash into the ground on the other side. The Menos's mask shattered, and its body disappeared shortly after, leaving Haruka with a moment to compose herself.

"Luckiest unlucky day of my life," she breathed. She didn't take too long of a break, though. More Hollows were bound to show up anytime soon, and she did not want to take the time to fight them. She was ready to get home, eat a nice meal, and then go to sleep. As she made her way to the cave that was the exit of the underground cavern that her men were in, Haruka couldn't help the thought that crossed her mind:

"Sabbatical, here I come."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three- And They Meet Again

"You are an idiot!" Kenshin yelled.

"It worked, didn't it?" Haruka countered, tightening the wrap that was around her waist. After one hell of a night, Haruka and her bandits finally made it back to their village, and they had never been so happy to see it before. Haruka and Hiyate both received medical attention almost immediately after they walked through the gate, but now that they were taken care of, Kenshin had decided to give his leader a piece of his mind.

"You could have been killed, Haruka!" Kenshin continued.

"We **ALL** could have been killed, Kenshin, at several points today. Those Shinigami could have attacked us, the Hollows could have done us in, and those Menos Grande could definitely have killed us. But guess what? We're still here!" Haruka reminded him. "I wouldn't have led you guys to your death: you know that, Kenshin."

"That wasn't what I was worried about, Haruka. I was worried about **YOU** dying. Believe it or not, you're actually needed here! These people look to you for guidance! They need you to provide for them!" Kenshin shouted.

"No, they look to all of us, Kenshin! I'm not the only one that puts their life on the line everyday by going out there, in a wilderness filled with man-eating Hollows and who knows what else, to track down a few noble caravans so we can steal from them and provide for these people! No, last time I checked, we all did that," Haruka pointed to him.

"Haruka, you found most of these people! These sick and abandoned old people, these orphans, these beggars, all of them! They trust you Haruka, because you were the first light of hope that they had in a long time! If it wasn't for you, most of them would be dead or close to it!" Kenshin argued.

"No, if it wasn't for this village, they would be dead or close to it," Haruka corrected him.

"Damn it, Haruka! If it hadn't have been for you, this village wouldn't be like it is! You know what it was like before! We were **REAL** bandits, the ones that like to kill and steal for no good reason, the ones that take advantage of desperate people like this! You changed that!" Kenshin kept going, not giving up for a second.

"I killed one man, Kenshin! One man, but somehow that makes me a hero?" Haruka challenged.

"Yes, and the fact that you **SAVED** nearly all of these people as well!" Kenshin replied.

"How can you defend me like this, against myself for that matter, Kenshin? That man was your father!" Haruka shouted.

"And you know for a fact what a monster he was! You think he was any better when he came back here? He killed my mother for no damn reason, Haruka! He deserved to die!" Kenshin yelled.

"I got lucky Kenshin. Anyone of you could have done that, without luck," Haruka stated.

"No, we couldn't have. We didn't have the balls to do a damn thing to him. We just followed him in everything he did and pretended like all of the blood that was on our hands was on his instead. We would have become just like him if you hadn't have come along," Kenshin told her.

"Let's just…not do this right now, Kenshin. I swear, arguing with you is more difficult than fighting those two Menos," Haruka breathed.

"I just wanted you to know how important you are here, and that you're needed. You need to be more careful," Kenshin finished.

"Kenshin, believe it or not, I am not always going to be here. One day, I'll move on, for whatever reason. You guys don't need me for this anymore. I've taught you all I can, Kenshin, and I know that you can apply it. You have the skills and the compassion: you can do this without me," Haruka assured him.

"Maybe, but I don't want to, Haruka. No one here wants to do this without you," Kenshin admitted.

"Maybe not, but it's inevitable. I'll have to move on eventually, whenever the time comes. I'll be needed in other places; you guys will have to let me go," Haruka told him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't try to keep you for just a little longer," Kenshin muttered.

"Kenshin, I-"

"Haruka-san!"

"Shit, was that the gatekeeper?" Kenshin asked.

"Yeah, it was. Let's go," Haruka told him, running off in the toward the village gate. They had sealed it shut tight once Haruka's team finally returned, and Haruka couldn't help but wonder what the gatekeeper had spotted. Surely, surely it couldn't be anything to top off what she had seen last night.

"What is it?" Haruka called from the ground, looking up at the gatekeeper's post at the lookout from atop that gate.

"The Shinigami are on their way!" the gatekeeper called. As soon as he said 'Shinigami', Haruka felt like slapping someone, and she did. Poor Kenshin just happened to be the closest victim.

"Shit!" Haruka and Kenshin both yelled.

"What the hell was that for?!" Kenshin yelled.

"Shinigami! Shini-friggin'-gami!" Haruka repeated.

"Yeah, I got that!" Kenshin told her, rubbing his cheek. He had never seen his leader change her facial expression, especially not under pressure like this. This was usually the type of situation she thrived in!

"You need a break, don't you boss?" Toshiie laughed as he walked up to them.

"I think she finally snapped," Kenshin muttered.

"GAH!" Haruka screamed.

"Yep, she's gone," Toshiie confirmed.

"It was just too much for her," Kenshin agreed.

"Why? Why can't they just leave us alone?" Haruka cried. "Damn it all…Just damn it all."

"It'll be okay, Haruka. Just come up with a plan, already," Toshiie stated, patting her on the shoulder.

"I don't wanna," Haruka cried. "Make someone else do it!"

"Then we'll all probably die," Toshiie laughed.

"Ugh, I hate them all," Haruka grumbled, composing herself and putting her stoic face back on.

"There she is. She wasn't too far gone," Toshiie commented.

"Are they just marching or what?" Haruka asked the gatekeeper.

"They're walking quite casually. I don't think they know that they're coming to a bandit village," the gatekeeper observed.

"I see. I guess we'll let them in, then," Haruka breathed.

"Are you serious?" Kenshin asked her.

"Why not? We didn't do anything," Haruka answered. "Gatekeeper, come on down: I'll take your place."

"If you say so," the gatekeeper agreed, climbing down the ladder from his post.

"Is this really something you want them to see?" Toshiie asked her.

"It's something they need to see," Haruka confirmed, starting to climb the ladder to the gate post one rung at a time.

"So…act casual?" Kenshin repeated.

"Act casual," Haruka nodded. "And don't do anything stupid."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Kenshin agreed.

"Again, I'm glad you knew that I was referring to you," Haruka joked.

"Gotch'ya," Toshiie mocked, and Kenshin just scoffed before he walked away.

"Gatekeeper!" someone yelled from the outside of the gate, and it was unmistakably the voice of the Captain-Commander.

"Jeez," Haruka muttered, quickly scaling the rest of the ladder.

"Gatekeeper!" the Captain-Commander repeated.

"Alright, alright! I'm here!" Haruka called.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Captain Muruguma yelled.

"Nope, 'fraid not," Haruka stated.

"This…is a bandit village?" the white-haired, gentle captain asked, astonished.

"Yep," Haruka told him.

"Well, that's not what we planned," Captain Hirako commented.

"How may I help you fine Shinigami today?" Haruka yawned. She hadn't been able to sleep since they got back yet, partially due to her adrenaline taking its time to wear off, and also due to Kenshin being an ass.

"What makes you think we need help from a scum like you?!" Captain Muruguma yelled.

"You're at **MY** gate, aren't you?" Haruka asked, and she didn't receive a reply. "Alright then."

"Allow us to pass through this village!" the Captain-Commander commanded.

"I guess I can do that, if you're all comfortable with coming through a bandit village," Haruka mocked, reaching beside her to grab the gate lever.

"We don't have much of a choice," the captain with the pink kimono commented.

"Do we ever?" Haruka noted, beginning to turn the lever. The gate slowly began to open, and to say that the captains weren't sure what to expect would be an understatement. Some of them even had the nerve to put their hands on their swords, like they thought they would be attacked.

"No need to worry. We won't judge you here," Haruka told them, jumping down from the post as the gate finished opening.

"This is…surprising," Captain Hirako commented.

"And here you have it: the big bad bandit village, with all of its sinister people milling about," Haruka announced.

"But, they're just normal people, not bandits," a female lieutenant with glasses commented.

"Yep. I mean, it's not a 'bandit-only' village," Haruka told her. A group of children ran passed them as they walked further into the village; Haruka was guiding them, but also making sure that they didn't do something that they would regret.

"Care to explain how you got those wounds?" the same female captain with purple hair from before inquired suspiciously.

"What, these? Oh, you know, merchant caravans," Haruka stated sarcastically, staring the captain right in the eyes. "Oh, wait, bad joke for the timing, huh?"

"Oba-san!" a little girl yelled, running up behind Haruka and jumping up so she could wrap her arms around Haruka's neck.

"Oba-san? I was your aunt yesterday, but now I'm your grandma?" Haruka asked, staggered.

"Yeah, why not?" the little girl asked, swinging on Haruka's neck a little bit. Her eyes had been shut the whole time, and she still hadn't opened them.

"How do I put this?" Haruka thought.

"Put what?" the little girl asked.

"Ina, grandparents tend to be a little older, sweetheart. They're the parents of your parents, understand?" Haruka explained.

"Oh, so are you not old enough to be my grandma?" Ina asked.

"I surely hope not," Haruka told her.

"I get it! So, I guess you still have to be my Auntie, huh?" Ina announced.

"Guess so," Haruka agreed.

"I'm lost," Captain Hirako stated.

"I'm not!" the captain with white hair practically sang. He seemed to be thrilled at Ina's arrival.

"She's an orphan, just like most of the kids here. She doesn't know what a family is, so we're doing our best to try to show her," Haruka explained.

"How'd she end up here?" a captain with an afro asked.

"I found her, on the street, blind and hungry, so I brought her here," Haruka answered.

"Tch! How merciful to bring a child to a bandit village! You must be pretty dense!" Captain Muruguma scoffed.

"Don't talk to my Auntie like that!" Ina yelled at him, baffling the angry captain.

"I came here when I was younger than her, and I survived," Haruka commented. "Besides, it isn't like she's going through the training to be a bandit."

"Yeah, and Auntie takes care of me, just like the other bandits! They aren't mean like the other bandits, like the ones that killed Mama and Papa! They feed us and make sure that we have somewhere to live! They keep us safe!" Ina argued.

"Easy girl. You're getting a little tight there," Haruka commented, patting Ina's arms.

"What kind of a place is this?" Captain Hirako asked, utterly confused. Before Haruka could answer, a middle-aged woman ran over to her.

"Haruka-san! I hate to bother you while you're taking care of important business, but it's my son! He's sick again, and I don't have any medicine for him!" the woman told her.

"Have you gotten the healer yet?" Haruka asked her.

"No, I-I don't have the money to pay her," the woman admitted.

"Chiyo, I know that you just got here not too long ago, but you don't have to pay. We take care of that. Just go tell her that your boy is sick, and if she doesn't have the right medicine for him, we'll go get it," Haruka assured her.

"Really?" Chiyo whimpered, on the verge of tears.

"Yeah, that's why I brought you here. A widow with a sickly boy shouldn't have to worry about begging on a daily basis. Just get what you need and don't worry about paying for it. We have plenty of supplies around here," Haruka assured her.

"Oh, thank you so much, Haruka! How can I ever repay you?" Chiyo asked her.

"Just take of yourself and your boy, alright? I'll come by later and check up on you," Haruka told her. Chiyo nodded and quickly walked away from Haruka and the Shinigami that were all absolutely shocked.

"Now you see what kind of village this is?" Haruka asked them.

"But how can you justify killing people, even if you do it to provide for these people?" the purple-haired captain asked her.

"Believe it or not, we actually don't kill anyone. And the people that we do steal from just so happen to be corrupt nobles. We don't take from good people, only the ones that put people in these positions to begin with," Haruka explained. "Well, scratch that; we do kill other bandits on occasion, like the ones that killed Ina's family."

"What about the ones that killed yours?" Ina asked her.

"Uh, that's…complicated, Ina," Haruka muttered, although she found the innocent girl's question was ironic and hilarious.

"I'll say," Kenshin snickered. He was standing by a building, using it as a prop while he watched the Shinigami walk their way through the town.

"Baka-san!" Ina called out, and for a split second, Haruka thought that she was about to lose her stoic countenance and bust out in laughter.

"Not you too!" Kenshin cried.

"You are great, Ina," Haruka commented.

One of the Shinigami started to say something, but Haruka didn't pay any attention to it. Something had caught her ear, and it had put her on high alert. Her body went stiff as she reached behind her to grab one of her Sai blades. Of course, the Shinigami noticed.

"Kenshin!" Haruka yelled, pulling Ina from around her neck and tossing her to Kenshin. He caught her with ease, right as a man dressed in full black appeared in front Haruka. Before he could even swing his blade at Haruka, she stabbed in his chest, right where his heart was.

"Shit! Kenshin, get Ina out of here and sound the alarm so these people will get off of the streets! We're under attack!" Haruka yelled. Within an instant, Kenshin had sprinted off with Ina, and a group of bandits without masks appeared around Haruka. Since they didn't have masks, it was easy for Haruka to tell that they were her men, her loyal bandits.

"Haruka! What's the plan?" Toshiie asked her.

"Hiyate, are you sure you can do this?" Haruka asked, once she spotted the injured man.

"Yeah, I got this. If you can do it, so can I," Hiyate assured her. Haruka nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Alright. Shinigami, stay where you are. This is our problem, so let us deal with it," Haruka told them, and they made no argument.

"Alright, boys, we're gonna do this as quickly and smoothly as possible. Kyuzo, take a group of men to the north and fight your way back to the center of the village! Hiyate, you do the same from the south, Toshiie from the east, and Minato from the west! I expect you all back here within ten minutes," Haruka ordered. Without another word, all of the unmasked bandits shot off in the directions that she had commanded.

"Haruka!" Kenshin called. Before she replied to him, Haruka quickly threw a knife at one of the attacking bandits as he tried to attack one of the village's children from behind. The child didn't even notice as the bandit fell to the ground dead behind him.

"You and me are going to stay here and make sure that everyone gets off the streets safely! Plus, we're going to wait for the leader to show up here," Haruka told him.

"Are you sure he'll show here?" Kenshin asked her.

"We've fought this bunch before, Kenshin. They like to make a show of things, the leader most of all, so of course he'll come right to the center of the action," Haruka confirmed. Haruka quickly ducked as Kenshin sliced at a bandit that was behind her. From her lowered position, she threw two more knives, nailing the two bandits that were running towards her and Kenshin.

"This ought to be good," Kenshin commented. "It's been a while since we fought side-by-side like this."

"Yes it has," Haruka acknowledged, standing up and unsheathing her other Sai blade.

"How long do think before the leader shows?" Kenshin asked her, locking swords with a bandit that had rushed him from the side.

"Five minutes tops," Haruka told him.

"Wanna bet on it?" Kenshin challenged.

"You wanna lose that bad today?" Haruka replied, elbowing an attacking bandit in the gut before she stabbed him with both of her blades. Before she was even able to take her blades out of the bandit, another one charged at her. Showing a mild feat of flexibility, Haruka cocked her leg behind her and then unleashed a bone-breaking kick to the bandits jaw, giving her time to retrieve her blades and stab the bandit in the chest before he could even land on the ground.

Yet another bandit was charging Kenshin from behind, but Haruka was quick to cut him off. She jumped on the bandits back, wrapping her legs tightly around his torso. After muttering a mild taunt, Haruka used one of her Sai blades to stab him in the throat, jumping off of him so his body could fall to the ground. More and more enemies were surrounding them, but the two bandits showed no fear. This was their home, and they would be damned if anyone was going to destroy what they had worked so hard for.

"Hah! I'm at four!" Kenshin called.

"Seven," Haruka replied, shooting Kenshin's glory down before it even started.

"You never give me a break!" Kenshin complained, cutting down another invader.

"Would you have preferred me to lie?" Haruka asked him, throwing more knives at her enemies, killing them before they could even come close to her.

"Usually I would say no, but I am starting to highly consider it," Kenshin admitted.

"Well, at least you're honest," Haruka muttered.

"Not a very good trait for a bandit, don't you think?"

All of the invading bandits that had been surrounding Haruka and Kenshin all stopped in their movements and backed away from them. Haruka and Kenshin both looked up, only to see the man that they had been waiting for: the leader.

"Ah, Gomen, how nauseating to see you again," Kenshin greeted.

"Oh, Kenshin, how did I know that you would still be alive by some miracle?" the opposing leader, Gomen replied, trying to anger Kenshin.

"Gomen," Haruka acknowledged.

"Still as gorgeous as ever, Haruka," Gomen commented. "Have you reconsidered my offer yet?"

"You mean, the one to marry you?" Kenshin laughed. "Not a chance in hell!"

"He's right, for once," Haruka agreed. "Not a chance in hell."

"I see. What a shame. Well, I have another offer, if you'll hear me out," Gomen began.

"We're listening," Haruka stated, not loosening her grip on her blades for a moment.

"How about a dual, leader to leader? We fight to the death, and if I win, my bandits will take all of your supplies, and we may or may not let the rest of your little village live. If you somehow win, wait, what am I saying? There isn't much of a chance of that, now is there?" Gomen cackled.

"How tempting," Kenshin spat.

"You know what? A leader to leader dual might not be so bad," Haruka commented.

"Is that so? You agree?" Gomen sinisterly laughed.

"Why not," Kenshin agreed.

"Excellent! Well, why don't you just step on up, Kenshin?" Gomen cockily called, unsheathing both of his katanas. "I usually don't like easy wins, but I'll take one this time."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You think I'm the leader? This is too great!" Kenshin laughed. He found it hilarious that Gomen's hubris had blinded him so badly.

"Well, last I heard, your father was killed, so it should follow that you would inherit the leadership here," Gomen commented, irritated that someone was laughing at him.

"No, no, no, it doesn't work like that. Whoever **kills** the leader** becomes** the leader," Kenshin told him.

"Then who the hell killed him?" Gomen demanded.

"You're looking right at her," Kenshin stated, pointing towards Haruka.

"There is no way! You would have been a child when he was killed!" Gomen yelled.

"Yep," Haruka agreed, walking closer to the opposing bandit leader.

"Tch, fine! I'll kill you just as well!" Gomen shouted, charging at Haruka. As Haruka dodged out of the way, Kenshin walked back towards the on looking Shinigami.

"You know, I'm actually surprised none of them attacked you," Kenshin commented.

"She's really the leader?" Captain Hirako asked.

"Yeah, yeah she is. It's a funny story, really. My father used to be the leader of this village. He was a ruthless monster of a man: he killed left and right and no one had the guts to stand up to him. One night, he attacked a noble family's estate. The story is that the family abandoned its youngest daughter there, but instead of just dying there, the child fought back and killed the bandit that was trying to kill her. That bandit was my father, and the child was Haruka," Kenshin explained, watching as Haruka jumped over Gomen and kicked him in the back of the head.

"Are you sure?" the purple-haired woman asked.

"Positive. A few years later, gangly little Haruka strolled right on up to our gates and showed my father's amulet, the amulet that only the leader of this village would have. We let her in, but she was obviously not well liked at first. My father was a bastard, but he was the only leader we had and we were lost without him. But, Haruka did the training to become one of our bandits, and she owned it. She got her own troop of men, which you saw earlier, and after a while, she was accepted as the leader of the village, even though she is in a bit of denial about that," Kenshin laughed. Gomen was in a rage as he continuously swung his blades at Haruka, but she seemed to dodge the attacks with ease.

"She changed things around here. She made us stop killing for no reason, and she only let us steal from crooked nobles, like her family had been, I guess. One day, she found an orphan in the wilderness; she felt bad for him, so she brought him back here. After that, she just kept on bringing people in, the sick the poor, anyone who needed the help. We just sort of fell into the routine of providing for them. It feels good, though, not just aimlessly killing, but fighting for something that actually has meaning. We protect these people, because whether they're bandits or not, they are our people," Kenshin finished.

"So, in a sense, she saved everyone here," Captain Hirako observed.

"In a sense. It's funny, really. A lot of these people were kicked out of their original homes because they were 'spiritually aware', I guess you could say, and everyone thought they were attracting Hollows. Most of us here are sensitive to spiritual pressures, but Haruka's awareness is the strongest, as is her spiritual pressure," Kenshin told him.

"Why don't you just write a book for them, Kenshin?" Haruka called out.

"Why don't you keep our eyes on me?!" Gomen shouted, slamming his fist into a wall near him. The wall shattered, along with Haruka's patience.

"You know, someone worked hard to build that," Haruka commented, spinning her Sai blades in her hands.

"You know, I don't really care!" Gomen replied.

"I figured," Haruka stated, finally looking up at her opponent's eyes.

"Now we're rolling!" Gomen announced, but as soon as he saw the look in Haruka's eyes, his charisma went straight out the door. It was like a predator staring into the eyes of its prey, like a lion giving its quarry one last look before it administered the killing blow. It was like he staring death in the face, and he now understood why she was called Dead-Eye; her stoic and unmoving expression was one thing, but when she looked at you with the intent to kill, death seemed like your only option.

Haruka did the same thing to mentally prepare herself for an intense fight every time. She always pictured herself as a child again, and she pictured looking into Kenshin's father's eyes once more. That murderous gleam always shot fear down to her very core, but unlike when she was a child, she knew death wasn't her only option. She knew she could fight back, and that she didn't have to be afraid anymore. She refused to be a victim like that again, so she turned the tables on her opponent; she made death their only option.

"Better hope you're ready," Haruka told him, disappearing like a ghost in the wind. She had Shunpo'd behind Gomen, and he was barely able to turn around in time to lock blades with her. Haruka wasn't going to mess around anymore, though, and she was quick to give him a sharp kick in the gut to knock him back. As he was falling back, Haruka Shunpo'd behind Gomen again and stabbed him in the back.

"Bitch!" Gomen spat, swinging his elbow back at Haruka. She ducked just in time, pulling her blades out of Gomen and jumping back from him. Unlike most of the opponents that she had faced before, Gomen wasn't quick to go down. He was gushing blood, but he seemed to be unfazed by it.

"That was a lucky hit, Haruka. It won't happen again," Gomen seethed.

"I'm sure it won't," Haruka retorted, though she was more serious than anyone gave her credit for. It seemed to be Gomen's turn to turn the tables on Haruka, because before she could even blink, Gomen had Shunpo'd beside her himself and delivered a hard kick to her already injured side. Haruka was knocked off of her feet by the kick and she soared backwards a few yards before she caught herself. As she felt the unmistakable warmth on her side, she knew that her wounds there were bleeding again.

"Now that was a lucky hit," Haruka commented.

"How do you figure?" Gomen snickered.

"You ever wonder why all of the people here, bandit or not, wear an amulet like this?" Haruka asked, holding up her own amulet as an example.

"Never really cared to know," Gomen scoffed.

"Ah, well, you should start caring now," Kenshin called. "You see, most of the people in this village put off at least a mild amount of spiritual pressure, and if we didn't do something to hide those pressures, than Hollows would swamp this place. But, guess what? There aren't too many Hollows around here, are there? That's because these little amulets here limit the amount of spiritual pressure we exert so the Hollows hardly even know we're here."

"The thing is, they also hinder our spiritual awareness, so we have a harder time sensing things, like other people. It's a small price to pay in the long run, though, and it is a nice little trump card in fights like these, don't you think?" Haruka finished, pulling the amulet off of her neck which ripped the cord that it had been on. Haruka's spiritual pressure started to seep out, but before too much of it was exposed, she focused on pulling it back in and hiding it.

"Sorry, but I won't ruin all of the surprises," Haruka commented.

"Tch, I think you're bluffing," Gomen snickered.

"Try me," Haruka challenged. With one more cocky grin, Gomen Shunpo'd towards Haruka again, but this time, she was ready to cut him off with her own Shunpo. Once her leg collided with Gomen's face, he realized that she was in fact not bluffing, and once he felt her blade pierce his shoulder, he knew that he shouldn't have underestimated her.

"How you feeling, Gomen?" Haruka called out.

"Stop trying to mock me," Gomen warned.

"I'm not," Haruka told him. "Are you dizzy yet? Light headed? Is your vision blurry?"

"What's it matter to you?" Gomen sneered, and it was obvious by the way that his eyes were dilated that Haruka was right.

"I'm just wondering how my new poison works," Haruka commented, pulling out a small vial that had a small amount of a light green liquid.

"You've got to be joking," Gomen grumbled.

"No, I'm not. You threaten my home **AND **my people, and somehow you think I won't play dirty? No, when you threaten everything important to me, then the gloves come off and the dirty tricks come out," Haruka told him. "If this works like it's supposed to, you should be fading out pretty soon."

"Poison…I would never have thought you would go that far," Gomen muttered, falling to his knees.

"Like I said, you shouldn't have threatened them. Don't worry, though, this shouldn't hurt. Most of the poisons I make kill you gently. This is the most effective one that I've made, but I doubt I'll be able to make anymore. The ingredients were a bitch to come by, but I guess I used it wisely," Haruka contemplated. "This one doesn't really take too much to get the job done, but I guess you already know that."

And he did. As a trickle of blood came out of Gomen's mouth, he fell over to the ground, as lifeless as the corpses of the rest of his bandits. For a moment, Haruka was brought back to the moment that she walked into the rain the night that she was abandoned: it was like a moment of rebirth. She felt at ease, like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. It was her moment of triumph.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four- The Offer

Haruka couldn't even taste the dumpling in her mouth as she chewed it. She was exhausted, and no one was going to let her rest any time soon. After her battle with Gomen had finally ended, Haruka and her team gathered all of the bodies of their slain enemies and brought them outside of the village gate. They then commenced the digging. It was a good thing that there weren't too many bodies, because it didn't take too terribly long to bury them all; that was a respect that Haruka's bandits gave all of their enemies, no matter who they were. As soon as they were done burying the bodies, Haruka and her troop went back inside their village, expecting to be able to take a nice long rest after their strenuous and strife-filled day. They were sadly mistaken.

The Shinigami were still there, and that was a concerning problem for Haruka. All she wanted them to do was just leave; how hard was that to ask for? Apparently, it was a very difficult procedure, because they were still there, standing around like they had nothing better in the world to do. Some of the captains were talking to the villagers, and a few others were entertaining some of the village's children. Before she could even ask them what the hell they were still doing there, the village's healer dragged Haruka away into the house that she had claimed as her workplace, and forced Haruka to stay there so she could tend to her newly aggravated wounds. At least she had the decency to give Haruka something to eat, and while she worked on Haruka's wounds, she gave her a rundown on who all of the captains were; the healer had apparently come from one of the inner districts, where people actually paid attention to the Gotei 13 with a sort of feudal reverence.

The dumplings tasted pretty good at first, but shortly after she started eating them Kenshin came into the room, and gave Haruka some news; it wasn't really meant to be bad news, but that was how she took it. As Kenshin explained to Haruka that the Shinigami wanted to meet with her and discuss important business, the dumpling that she was chewing seemed to go bland. The effects that bad news could have on a person were amazing: she quickly went from being famished to having no appetite, and the adrenaline that she still had from her fight with Gomen instantly went away, leaving her dog-tired.

When Kenshin handed her her newly repaired 'leader's amulet', as it were, she felt like throwing it across the room; she didn't want to deal with this. All she wanted to do was take a nice long nap and start planning her sabbatical afterwards. But, fate seemed to have it out for her, and she didn't get that privilege.

"All done," the healer stated, tying off the wrap that she had put around Haruka's torso.

"Are you sure?" Haruka asked her. "Because I have all the time in the world if you want to recheck it or something."

"Nope, I'm afraid you're all taken care of," the healer told her.

"Why can't I just avoid my problems for once?" Haruka muttered.

"Because trouble seems to just follow you around like a lost puppy, Haruka," Kenshin stated.

"It needs to find a new master," Haruka commented, standing up from the chair that she had been sitting in and stretching her arms and back in an attempt to wake herself up a little bit.

"I'm afraid it's not the only thing that has to do that," Kenshin breathed, causing Haruka to look at him like he had grown another head.

"What'd you mean by that?" Haruka asked him.

"Nothing…Let's just got and see what these Shinigami want," Kenshin told her, but by the look on his face, it was obvious that he already knew what they wanted.

"If you say so," Haruka dismissed, walking out of the healer's workplace. It was a walk of fate, really, and Haruka traveled it with nothing but dread. Whatever these Shinigami wanted to talk to her about would probably be more serious than she wanted it to be, and that was something that she could guarantee; the grim look on Kenshin's face was enough to tell her that. He obviously knew something about what was going on, but instead of wasting time to interrogate the man, Haruka just walked by him and ignored the look that he gave her: she just wanted to get this over with, and Kenshin was stubborn when it came to giving straightforward answers.

"This day just keeps getting longer and longer," Haruka muttered as she finally walked outside. The Shinigami were doing the same things that they had been doing when she was dragged off by the healer: some were just standing around, some were talking to villagers, and some were frolicking about with the children. The whole scene of Shinigami wandering around her village and interacting with her villagers still sent Haruka for a loop.

"Captain-Commander," Haruka greeted as she reached the man. It was like he wasn't expecting her for a moment, because he just stared at her until a look of realization came over his face, and even then he didn't say anything to her, like he was tongue-tied. That was obviously not his normal habit of doing things, but something seemed to be distracting the old man.

"Let me take care of this, Yamaji," one of the captains offered; he was the one that had the pink kimono over his haori, the one the healer had told her was Captain Shunsui Kyōraku. The Captain-Commander made no arguments with him, not even commenting on the nickname that captain had used, and he continued to just look around the village.

"You'll have to excuse him, he's just a little shocked at how well the village works," Shunsui told her.

"How's that?" Haruka asked him.

"Well, it bounced back from that attack pretty quick. He finds it interesting how all of the people here seem so happy and how they all work together and take care of each other," Shunsui explained.

"Oh," Haruka murmured. She was so used to things working like this that she didn't realize how some people might find it strange. She was mildly concerned once she realized that that meant that the Gotei 13 didn't function with that kind of harmony; how could you expect to fight against anything, even something as harsh and untamable as Hollows, and expect to beat it if you yourself were in a state of disunity?

"It's kind of refreshing, really. I'm Shunsui Kyōraku, by the way," the captain commented.

"I know, the healer gave me the rundown on who all of you were while she was fixing me up. She is apparently quite a fan of you guys," Haruka told him. "I'm Haruka, if you haven't heard by now."

"How could I not have?" he laughed. "These people have done nothing but talk about you since we've been here."

"I deny all of it, good or bad," Haruka commented, causing the sociable captain to chuckle.

"You can't seriously be going through with this!" another captain scoffed. That was Kensei Mugur\uma, the hot-headed asshole that had been harking on Haruka since their first encounter. If he didn't have such a bad attitude, Haruka might have actually considered him to be mildly attractive, but the glare that he had set on her wiped that consideration away in an instant.

"Now, now, Kensei; this is what Yamamoto-san wants, and she has proven herself trustworthy, surprisingly," the female captain with purple hair told him; that was Kirio Hikifune, and the look in her eyes told Haruka that she still didn't trust the bandit leader as far as she could throw her. It was a mutual feeling between the two.

"Tch, this march must have made him delusional," Kensei scoffed. At that point, he finally noticed that the yellow-eyed bandit leader was not paying any attention to him whatsoever, and that she was in fact staring off at his lieutenant, Mashiro Kuna, who was running around with some kids.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" he shouted.

"Actually, you're talking about me," Haruka corrected, which only served to irritate him even more. He was about to yell something at her, but the yell of his own lieutenant cut him off.

"Hey, you!" she called out. She was pointing at a small dark-haired boy, who looked like a snared animal as he saw the lieutenant pointing at him. Haruka could tell by the way that he kept looking at the apple in his hands what he thought: he thought that the lieutenant was either going to take his food from him, or accuse him of stealing it. He wasn't going to have either, which was evident by the way that he sprinted away from them.

"Shūhei, wait!" Haruka called, but he was long gone by then. She couldn't help but sigh at the situation; she had told that boy over and over that he wasn't stealing anything here, that he didn't have to run anymore. Obviously, her point hadn't come across very well.

"Another orphan?" the white-haired captain asked her. He was Captain Jūshirō Ukitake, and the healer had spoken of him quite fondly, saying that he was a generous and kind-hearted man, who obviously loved children.

"Something like that," Haruka answered. "Minato!"

"Yes?" the bandit in question replied. Where he had come from exactly, Haruka wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to question it.

"Go find Shūhei, will you? I'd hate for him to run away from the village again," Haruka requested.

"It did take us a long time to find him last time," Minato commented. "You got it, chief."

"Thank you," Haruka replied, and the bandit took off trying to find the misled child.

"Man, you guys aren't giving me a break today," Haruka breathed, rubbing her hand down her face.

"You have had quite a long few days, haven't you?" Shunsui pointed out.

"Tell me about it," Haruka muttered.

"Your second-in-command would probably do a better job. He's the one who told us," Captain Shinji Hirako told her.

"Damn it, Kenshin," Haruka yapped at the aforementioned bandit.

"What? It was relevant at the time, trust me," he assured her, holding his arms up and waving her off.

"Enlighten me, please," Haruka told him.

"They were asking about the Hollow attack last night. They said they sensed the Hollows, but once they got to the area, they were all gone. I told them that we took them down with your plan, and I may have mentioned that you also took down two Menos Grande afterwards," Kenshin explained.

"You may have mentioned it, huh?" Haruka repeated.

"I might have. The whole thing is just a blur to me, really," Kenshin disputed, making his leader shake her head even more.

"You're trying to make this harder on me," Haruka accused, even though she knew exactly what he would say about that.

"I am not! I would never," he argued, although his sarcastic tone said otherwise.

"I swear, it was all pure luck," Haruka told the Shinigami around her.

"I severely doubt that," Kirio commented, walking away to go talk to a nearby villager; Haruka scouted her out the entire time.

"So, what is it exactly that you wanted to talk to me about?" Haruka asked them.

"Well, the Captain-Commander over there was quite impressed with what you did yesterday, especially when he found out that you did it all with a limiter on," Shunsui began. "And after the showing earlier, well…"

"He wants you to come back with us to the Gotei 13," Shinji finished.

"Thank you for putting it bluntly," Shunsui commented with a sigh.

"For once, I'm with the pissy one over there," Haruka stated, pointing her thumb over at Kensei. "What in the world are you people thinking?"

"Pissy?" Kensei muttered, tightening his already clenched fist. Everyone around him could see the vein practically popping out on his forehead.

"Mhm," Haruka hummed. "Just calling it like I see it."

"Why you little-!" As Kensei tried to reach out and grab Haruka, the captain with an afro, Love Aikawa, held him back.

"Haruka," Kenshin began, looking her straight in the eyes as he did so. "Go with them."

"Go with them?" Haruka repeated. "Why on earth would I do that? Weren't you just saying how I needed to stay here for these people?"

"Well, yes, but you had a point earlier. You haven't exactly just been doing everything for us all these years; you've been showing us, teaching us how to do everything without you in the process," Kenshin explained. "And while we would like for you to stay here for as long as possible, we can't ask that from you. It's obvious that you aren't meant to stay here. You did what you were supposed to: you saved us from the monsters that we were turning into. You love the people here, Haruka, but I see the way you look sometimes. You're time here is coming to a close, and you're ready to move on. I can't say that we'll be thrilled with it, but we have no right to try to force you to stay here. We owe you everything, Haruka, but it's like you've been trying to tell me all these years: we have to start taking care of ourselves."

"Figures you would actually listen to that, of all things," Haruka muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm not sure this is quite what I meant, Kenshin."

"Why not? It's the perfect opportunity, Haruka, and it's not like you wouldn't be good at it," Kenshin told her. "You weren't meant to be a bandit forever, Haruka."

"I wasn't meant to be a noble, and I wasn't meant to be a bandit: why the hell not try to be a Shinigami, right?" Haruka ranted. "I'm not sure that's the best logic for me to use right now, Kenshin."

"Why not? What else were you thinking about doing instead?" he questioned.

"I hadn't exactly thought about it, I mean, I intended to stay here for a little longer," she admitted.

"Well, here's fate smacking you in the face," Kenshin joked, mildly trying to bring some light to the situation, but also trying to make a point as well.

"Or it could be trouble following me again," Haruka observed.

"Haruka," Kenshin breathed.

"Kenshin," Haruka countered. "Look, brother, I'm exhausted, we all are. This probably isn't the best time for me to make a decision like this."

"Well, you have time," Shunsui finally piped in. "It's getting late, and we probably won't be able to make it to the next village before nightfall, so…"

"You wanna stay here," Haruka finished.

"Yep," Shinji agreed.

"You know what? You tell Captain Hikifune there to stop giving me the stink eye and it'll be a deal," Haruka sighed. It seemed that today just wasn't her day; she had a long night the night before, a long day to follow it up, and now she had yet another long night ahead of her.

* * *

Haruka was at a loss. As she sat on the rooftop of the town's 'headquarters', as it was, and just basked in the light of the full moon, a light breeze blew by her. Usually, she'd be able to think in this beautiful scene, but not tonight. She could hardly even think about the Shinigami as she stared up at the stars and tried to make small pictures out of them, and she couldn't exactly say that she wanted to, either. The rest that she had been dying for never came to her; her mind was working too much to let her sleep, and when she tried to put her restless mind at ease, she just couldn't focus on the issue at hand.

Her life had started out so confusing for her. She thought that she had the most perfect family in the world, but in the end, they betrayed her and left her to die. She was alone for a long time, just wandering around, stealing food so she wouldn't starve and sleeping in the cold every night. She had been alone, and she didn't know what to do, a lot like she didn't know what to do now. When she was a child, she saw only two options before her: starve, or join the bandits. In the end, she chose to be a bandit. At that point in her childhood, Haruka had given up on showing fear, or any emotion for that matter; she would never let anyone take advantage of her emotions again, especially not a bunch of bandits. So, she just casually strolled up to the bandit's gate, not showing that she had a care in the world, and threw the leader's amulet as hard as she could up to the gate's watchtower.

They were reluctant to let her in at first, but in the end, she had earned the right to join them. However, that didn't mean that they had to accept her. She got picked on a lot, especially by the other female recruits. They endlessly teased her about her hair, saying that no bandit should care that much about their appearance as to have such a 'pretty' head of hair, and quite frankly, Haruka got tired of it. So, she shaved her head. To say that they were all shocked would have been one way to put it, but Haruka was triumphant. She had made them eat their words before her training had even started, and that made them give her a mild amount of respect. After that, the only one that really gave her a problem was Kenshin, for obvious reasons. He teased her about everything: how skinny she was, how she had shaved her head, everything. Even when she outshined him in training, he still teased her, until she saved his ass one fateful day. They had been out in the forest, doing some random training exercise, when Mr. Macho thought it would be a good idea to split off from the group. And of course, he ran right into a Hollow. He ran and ran from that thing, and he screamed as loud as he could for help, but no one heard him. No one except for Haruka, that is. That was the first Hollow that she had ever killed, and as she extended her hand to Kenshin to help him up, he found a new kind of respect from her, one that was born out of admiration and fear. The two had formed a friendship that day, a partnership that followed them through the rest of their training and beyond.

After their training was complete and they became true bandits, Haruka finally stepped up and tried to take the role of a leader. It wasn't exactly something that she wanted to do, but with Kenshin practically begging her to do it, she couldn't turn the position down. That was when she started to make changes there; she set forth new rules, ones the forbid useless killing and things like it, and no one had the guts to challenge the new leader that they had deemed 'Dead-Eye'. They were scared of her for a while, but as she started showing them a subtle compassion that they had never seen before, they all began to love her. Haruka started to bring people in, people in need, and made it the bandits' mission to provide for them. And who better to target than the people that she despised most: the corrupt?

She always knew that she wouldn't stay there forever, but she didn't think she would leave like this either. This village, one that had been born in a pool of needlessly shed innocent blood, had given her confusing life meaning and direction, even though she didn't see it like that at the time. She went there seeking food and shelter, and when they made her earn her keep, she worked her ass off to prove herself, and in the end, she was a put in a leadership position that, even though she didn't want it, allowed her to change people's lives in a positive way. She had grown to love the place, and everyone in it for that matter, but they couldn't depend on her forever. She had been showing them how to take care of themselves, how to keep doing everything without her there, for that very reason, but now that the opportunity to leave had come up, she wasn't so keen to take it. In all truth, she was scared. This place had become a safe harbor for her, one that protected her from the confusion and discord that had once plagued her life, and like a scared child hanging on to its mother, she didn't want to let go.

But would it really be fair to anyone if she stayed? Would it be fair to the villagers to take away their opportunity to prove that they could care for themselves? Would it be fair to the bandits there to make them keep a leader that was only there half-heartedly? Would it be fair to deny Kenshin his birthright, one that he had been trying so hard to finally earn? Would it be fair to her? Haruka knew that she would be denying herself the opportunity of a lifetime if she turned the offer down, but that still didn't make things any easier…

* * *

The morning came too quickly for Kenshin. He was still exhausted from the day before, and in all honesty, he hadn't slept that well. The thought of Shinigami sleeping in such a close proximity to him had unsettled him even in his dreams, and as he walked outside into the morning sunlight with a killer headache, he hoped that they were just as unsettled as he was. But, they weren't. They were just as jolly and refreshed as they had been the day before, and that irked Kenshin to no end.

"Any idea where your fearless leader is?" Shinji asked him, causing Kenshin to jump because he had snuck up behind him.

"Don't sneak up on a bandit, man!" Kenshin berated him. "If this were any other time, I might have attacked you, man! And no, I don't know where she is! I figured she'd be out here already."

"Could have just said no," Shinji commented.

"And you shouldn't have snuck up on me!" Kenshin countered.

"Yo, Kenshin! Look tall!"

"What on earth are you talking about Haruka?" Kenshin asked her, exasperated as he watched the woman walk down the street towards him.

"Look tall," Haruka repeated, tossing something to him. Kenshin caught it with ease, but he was shocked when he saw what it was.

"What?" he breathed.

"Be proud. Your duty now is to protect these people and guide them as leader, so look tall and hold your head up high, brother," Haruka told him. Her words echoed through Kenshin's head as he looked down at the leader's amulet that she had thrown him.

"You're really going to do this?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's for the best."

"Are you sure?" Kenshin asked her.

"I thought about it all night, man. It's time for me to let you guys go," Haruka explained. "It won't be fair to anyone if I stay."

"So you're accepting the offer?" Shunsui asked as he walked over to the pair.

"It seems so," Haruka replied.

"Auntie!" Haruka quickly looked behind her, just in time to see little Ina running up to her. The little girl jumped and wrapped her arms around Haruka's neck as soon as she reached her, holding on to her tightly.

"Ina," Haruka breathed, wrapping her arms around the girl and trying to comfort her.

"I'm happy for you," Ina commented.

"Hm?" Haruka hummed, not sure that she had heard the child right.

"You're doing what's right for you," Ina told her. "Just don't forget me, alright?"

"How could I ever forget you, Ina?" Haruka murmured, breaking her stoic countenance for a split second to give the girl a small smile, even if she couldn't see it.

"I made you something, just to make sure," Ina told her. She hopped down off of Haruka, taking something off of her wrist in the process. She held it out to Haruka, and as Haruka took it, she couldn't fight off her surprise as she saw what it was. It was a bracelet, made out of two tightly woven straps of black cords, and in the middle of the straps was a charm. The outside of the charm was just a plain wooden circle that had been painted black, and it was what the straps connected to. In the middle of the circle was a black wooden symbol, their village's symbol, the kanji for bravery.

"Child, you can't even see. How on earth did you do this?" Haruka muttered, but she held admiration in her eyes for the child as she spoke.

"You'd be surprised at what I can do," Ina laughed. "Auntie Chiyo did help me, though."

"It's amazing, Ina," Haruka complimented, sliding the bracelet over her hand and tightening it once it was around her wrist.

"Promise you'll never take it off," Ina pleaded.

"I promise, I promise," Haruka assured her.

"I believe you," Ina stated, causing Haruka to let out a quick chuckle.

"Hey, you look tall, too, kid. You have a lot of things to be proud of, and this bracelet is one of them. So keep your chin up, will ya?" Haruka told the small girl, giving her a pat on the head in the process.

"You got it," Ina agreed. "Goodbye, Haruka."

"Goodbye, Ina. Don't worry, you'll see me again someday," Haruka replied.

"Are you sure?" Ina asked her.

"I'm positive," Haruka answered. "And do me a favor while I'm gone, alright? Don't ease up on Kenshin a bit."

"I won't!" Ina happily agreed, finally skipping away from the woman that she had grown so fond of.

"She's not the only one that'll miss you, you know," Kenshin told her.

"I know. I've already said goodbye to the boys," Haruka told him.

"You mean to tell me that I am the last to know about this?" Kenshin demanded, absolutely beguiled by that possibility.

"Yep," Haruka popped.

"Dead-Eye, you are an awful, awful woman," Kenshin commented.

"I'll miss you, too, Kenshin," Haruka teased him, but her renewed stoic expression made him question her sincerity.

"I mean it," Haruka told him, seeming to read his mind. "You take care of yourself."

"I will," Kenshin agreed. "And I'll take care of these people, too."

"I'd have to kill you if you didn't," Haruka commented, and even though Kenshin awkwardly laughed, he knew she was dead serious.

"Ready to go?" Shunsui finally asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Haruka conceded.

"Then let's go," Shunsui called, and the rest of the Shinigami took that as their signal to finally leave the bandit village.

"You're sure that you're sure about this?" Shunsui asked her.

"Yeah," Haruka assured him. "Why the hell not?"

"Then welcome to the Gotei 13."

_**Author's Note: This is doing better than I thought it would, honestly…But, I am absolutely thrilled about that! Please, keep the responses coming! Follow, favorite, or review if you like it! A special thank you to hirakohs, Tristhiet, Alterity, shikaboo, XxTheDarknessOfMySoulxX, DeadlyVampire-DayDream Corp, and Jane of Arc for all of the love, because as you can tell, it made me quite happy!**_

_**And DeadlyVampire-DayDream Corp, thank you very much for the review. I do what I can!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: Just in case, shihakushō refers to the Shinigami uniform as a whole, hakama refers to the pants, the kosode is the outer black robe that we always see, and the shitagi is the white inner robe.**_

Chapter Five- Looking Tall, No Matter What

These Shinigami must have thought that they were hilarious, but to Haruka, the whole thing was a cruel ass joke. The Captain-Commander had been thinking about what to do with Haruka the entire journey back to the Seireitei, and while she was fine with the majority of his plan, there was one part that she just did not agree with and probably never would for the rest of her days. He had decided that at her current level, she was definitely close to par with most of the lieutenants, and maybe with some training, she could be on the same level as the captains in no time. But, the thing was, she had no practice with her zanpakutō. Sure, her fighting skills were impressive, but at the end of the day, she had no clue how to communicate with her zanpakutō or call out her shikai, much less her bankai. He didn't want to take the time to put her through the academy, so he decided to have a little experiment.

Haruka was already a well-trained fighter, in hand-to-hand combat and with her blades, so instead of wasting the time to put her in the academy, he went ahead and accepted her into the Gotei 13. She wasn't a seated officer in any division; she was more or less a free agent of sorts. Yamamoto's idea was to go ahead and let her into the Gotei 13 and teach her about Kido, her zanpakutō, and everything else of that nature in due time through a kind of field training. It would be a 'hands-on' learning experience, and he felt that with someone like Haruka, it would be way more beneficial than making her suffer through countless boring hours at the academy. And Haruka was fine with that part of the deal, but the next part was what got her.

She wasn't an officer in any specific division, but a division had been assigned to train her. At first, she was fine with that part, too. When Yamamoto told her that the Ninth Division had been assigned to train her, she was still all fine and dandy with the whole set-up…but then she found out who was in the Ninth Division, or who led it, more or less…That was the point when she was tempted to say 'fuck it' and just leave the whole thing behind her and go back home, but, Haruka was no quitter, although she wished she was one. The Ninth Division just so happened to be led by none other than Kensei Muguruma, Haruka's **biggest** fan…

Of all the people she could have been stuck with, why him? That asshole rode her ass the entire time that they were in her village, and she was hoping that since they were no longer in such close quarters, that she would never have to see him again. But fate was obviously not on her side, and probably not his either, because she highly doubted that he volunteered to do this. She supposed that it could have been worse, though…she could have been assigned to Captain Kirio Hikifune's division, and that certainly would have led to a few sleepless nights for Haruka. In a sense, she was getting the lesser of two evils, but that didn't make her **any **happier about the situation.

Haruka wasn't particularly happy about the uniform, either. Sure, her bodysuit could have been considered way too tight and revealing, but she liked it; it didn't get in the way when she fought and it gave her the secure support that a woman of her frame needed. So she didn't get rid of it. The Shinigami uniform, or shihakushō to be more specific, consisted of not only an outer black kosode, but also an inner white shitagi. So, instead of putting the under robe on, she just left her body suit on and pulled her hakama and kosode on over it. She also left the kosode wide open so everybody could see the revealing bodysuit under it; she was proud of where she came from and everything that she overcame, and she was going to let everyone near her know it. She also made sure to keep the bracelet that Ina had made for her tightly around her wrist, but as she looked over the bracelet, she realized that she wanted it out in the open for everyone to see, too. Her kosode's sleeve, though, was not going to let that happen; Haruka, however, was not one to be deterred, so she just ripped her kosode's entire right sleeve off at the shoulder, solving the problem.

But, since she had finished changing, it was now time for her to make her way to the Ninth Division, which was obviously something that she wasn't looking forward to. She could only imagine what her welcoming there would be like, and she was under the impression that it wouldn't be very welcoming at all. Again, she wished that she was a quitter, but yet again, it just wasn't in her blood. So, with one last deep breath, she opened the door to the room that she had been changing in in the First Division. Outside, the First Division's Lieutenant, Chōjirō Sasakibe, was waiting for her.

"Are you ready to go to the Ninth Division?" he asked her with a shaky voice.

"I suppose," she answered, "If I have to."

"Then follow me," he told her. At first, when they started to make their way to the Ninth Division, Haruka decided to walk behind the lieutenant, to perform an experiment of her own. He wasn't very finicky at first, but that was short-lived. Soon enough, he started looking over his shoulder to check on what she was doing behind him, but every time he looked back at her, she always caught him and stared him down right in the eyes. He was quick to swing his head back around then, but he couldn't resist the urge to make sure that she wasn't trying to rob or kill him, so he just kept on doing it. After a while, Haruka decided to change her game a little. Instead of walking behind him, she stepped forward until she was walking beside him. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to watch her, but he definitely kept an eye on her from the corner of his eye, and based on how he nearly walked into a pole, he obviously wasn't keeping an eye on anything else.

"Lieutenant Sasakibe, brother, you don't have to keep staring at me," Haruka finally spoke. "I'm not going to try jumping you or anything."

"M-my apologies, Haruka-san, I didn't mean to offend you," he stuttered.

"Please, I'm far from offended. I'm used to it, really, but that's the problem. I thought the point of you guys bring me here was to train me to be a Shinigami; how are ya'll going to do that if everybody keeps looking at me like I'm still a bandit?" Haruka asked.

"It might take us some time to stop doing that," Chōjirō admitted. "Even if you never harmed innocents, it is still…unsettling to know what you were."

"I see," Haruka stated. "Maybe in due time, then."

"Perhaps," he agreed. "Well, here we are. Do you need any help finding the captain?"

"No, that's not necessary," Haruka assured him. "I'm sure he'll find me if I can't find him."

"Very well. Good luck, then," Chōjirō replied, and he finally took his leave of the former bandit. As he walked away, he looked over his shoulder one last time to make sure that she wasn't following, only to find her staring him right in the eyes yet again. That was enough to put some more pep to his step, and he was out of Haruka's sight in no time.

"Well, wasn't that eventful?" Haruka muttered, looking around her for a moment. She may not have had any experience with a zanpakutō, but other than using Shunpo, she also knew how to seek out other people's reiatsus and how to restrain her own. She closed her eyes and focused for a moment; she may not have been around him for too long, but she could definitely still remember Captain Muguruma's reiatsu; it was very prominent and forceful, almost like it was demanding respect in a way, so the reiatsu matched its owner very well. He wasn't anywhere near her, that was for sure; he was quite some distance from her, and if she had to guess, he was most likely at the very edge of his division. He wasn't alone, either; there were several other reiatsus near him, so nine times out of ten, he was probably at the Ninth Division training grounds.

"You just couldn't be in your office, could you?" Haruka wondered, opening her eyes and looking at the said building beside her.

"Oh well," she huffed. "What can ya do?"

So, Haruka began her little stroll to the training grounds. It wasn't a particularly long walk, but she was certainly going to take her time to get to her destination. She started to get this feeling, though, that she was being watched, and whoever was watching her may have been able to hide their reiatsus from her, but they definitely couldn't conceal their bodies from her. They had foolishly tried to hide behind a bush that was not nearly big enough to hide both of them, which was obvious by the two pairs of feet sticking out from the bush and by all of the hair that was blowing around it in the breeze. Haruka just stared at the bush for a moment, trying to decide how to go about this. Should she sneak up on them and scare the living hell out of them, or should she approach them calmly? That was a hard decision to make, but, she did have to start making a new reputation for herself…

"You two are not very sneaky," Haruka called, and after a few curses were spat out from behind the bush, the two 'snoopers' that were following her finally revealed themselves.

"Captain Hirako," Haruka greeted. "And…Lieutenant Sarugaki, I believe."

"How the hell would you know that?" the young lieutenant demanded.

"Hiyori, there's no need to be rude to the ban-uh…Haruka-chan," Shinji chastised her.

"Bro, you've been stalking me since I got here," Haruka pointed out.

"So? I was curious," Shinji scoffed, trying to defend himself.

"And does your curiosity always lead to stalking? 'Cuz that could be a problem, brother," Haruka told him.

"And being an emotionless bitch can lead to problems," Hiyori retorted.

"Oh, damn, that hit me, right in my emotions, too. Oh, wait," Haruka countered. "I'm emotionless, so…that had no effect whatsoever. And, I have definitely heard it before. You'll have to be more creative than that, sister."

"Don't call me that!" Hiyori shouted.

"Then don't stalk me," Haruka told her. "Why are you two following me, anyways?"

"Like I said, I was just curious about something," Shinji replied.

"And what would that be?" Haruka asked him.

"I'm wondering just how long it's going to take before you crack," Shinji told her.

"Elaborate, please, Captain Hirako," Haruka requested.

"I don't think you'll be able to handle this place, or better yet, I don't think you'll be able to handle not living like a bandit. I'm just warning you right now, I've got my eyes on you. If you try to hurt anyone here, I will personally end you myself," Shinji warned her. The captain was dead serious, but a small snort still came out f Haruka, even though her expression didn't change a bit.

"Something funny to you?" Hiyori asked her.

"Yes, this whole situation is quite funny," Haruka answered. "I mean, for one, you tell her not to be rude and then you're rude yourself. Second of all, I'm offended that you would think me that fucking stupid as to try something while being surrounded by so many Shinigami. Three, I'm also insulted by the fact that you thought that threat would actually scare me. I may not be a bandit anymore, but I was one for most of my life; I've been threatened countless times, by people way more intimidating than someone who can't even hide behind a bush right. If I actually took all of those threats to heart, I would be living under a rock by now, but as you can see, I'm not, because I don't frighten easily, even by threats of death. You people are the ones who invited me here, but you're not doing me any favors by it."

And with that said and done, Haruka finally started her stroll again. However, Captain Hirako had different plans. He quickly Shunpo'd behind her and held his sword to her throat. To his surprise, though, she didn't even flinch.

"I told you, I don't frighten easily, Captain Hirako. You'll have to do better than that, because I have been in this situation plenty of times," Haruka told him, moving around his sword and starting to walk off again.

"What a freak," Hiyori scoffed.

"I respect her," Shinji stated.

"Then what the hell was all of that?" Hiyori demanded.

"I was just curious, that's all. I gave her a little test, and she passed. She's not going to try anything here," Shinji explained. "I still don't really trust her, though. But she does have balls, I'll give her that."

"Kensei-baka, look who's here!" Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna yelled. Kensei looked around, only for his eyes to land on the person that he had dreaded seeing all day. The damn bandit had finally stepped foot into his division; he had kind of been hoping that someone else would volunteer to take over her training, or that she would get lost on the way over and never be found again, but obviously luck was not on his side that day.

Luck wasn't exactly on Haruka's side, either, it seemed. After receiving bad news and being threatened for most of the day so far, she really was not looking forward to seeing the pissy captain again. She already tell by his angry and menacing glare just what kind of mood he was already in, and it only got worse when he saw her. His lieutenant didn't look very pleased that Haruka was there, either…Her day was just getting better and better by the moment.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say that you did not volunteer for this," Haruka observed.

"No, I didn't. No one else wanted to do it, so I got stuck with you," Kensei scoffed.

"I see," Haruka stated. "My condolences, then."

"You should be sorry, baka!" Mashiro pouted.

"Baka, huh?" Haruka muttered.

"Yeah! Baka, baka, baka, baka!" Mashiro whined, and she then proceeded to throw a fit of some sort, which only irritated Kensei even more.

"That's not the worst I've been called today, I suppose," Haruka perceived.

"And just what have you been called?" Kensei asked her, not out of curiosity of course, but he would rather listen to anything besides Mashiro's whining right now.

"Well, one of the First Division officers called me a 'no good whore', an Omnitsukidō member called me a filthy bandit when I caught him spying on me, and Lieutenant Sarugaki said I was an emotionless bitch when I found her and Captain Hirako stalking me," Haruka listed. "There have been a few more, but those are the main ones."

"Tch, what did you expect?" Kensei scoffed.

"A little more finesse and creativity, honestly," Haruka admitted. "I mean, seriously."

"Finesse and creativity?" Kensei repeated.

"Yes, new insults would be nice every once in a while," Haruka confirmed.

"So, it's not the fact that they're insulting you, it's the fact that they're using old insults that bothers you?" Kensei observed.

"Yep," Haruka chirped. "I don't actually care what the hell they think about me, brother, because I already know what they think about me. I just don't want to hear the same ole shit repeated every day."

"You've got to be kidding me," Kensei breathed. "That has to be one of the most stupid things I have ever heard."

"If you were in my position, would you give a damn about what they said, especially when it's blatantly obvious that no one likes or trusts you?" Haruka asked him.

"Well, no," Kensei started. "But-"

"Alright then," Haruka stated, cutting him off.

"Is she going to be alright?" Haruka added, referring to the lieutenant that was still throwing a fit on the ground.

"I don't know, and I don't care," Kensei barked. "Great, now I get to deal with you and her both."

"Well trust me, I'm not going be throwing any fits soon," Haruka assured him.

"I don't care if you throw a fit, cry your eyes out every day, whatever," Kensei told her. "If I catch you doing anything incriminating around here-"

"I've been threatened today already, too," Haruka cut in. "By two other people so far, both saying the same thing. At this point, I'm sure the same threat applies to everyone around here: if I do something stupid, they'll all be right there to burn my ass for it."

"When have you had the time to be threatened?" Kensei demanded.

"On the way here by Captain Hirako, and when I was on my way to the First Division by some short little girl, another Omnitsukidō member, I believe," Haruka told him. "It's like clockwork, really. I suspect your lieutenant won't be the last to insult me, and you won't be the last to threaten me by far. It wouldn't be a problem with me if everyone wasn't saying the same damn thing over and over again. I get the picture by this point."

"Be sure that you do," Kensei warned her. "I'm not just threatening you, either: I am promising that I will be watching your every move and as soon as you fuck up, I'll be the first one there."

"That's what that Omnitsukidō girl said," Haruka pointed out.

"I don't care what-Shut the hell up, Mashiro!" Kensei yelled, finally fed up with his lieutenant's constant whining.

"You shut up, Kensei-baka!" Mashiro countered.

"And you somehow think that I'll be worse than that?" Haruka asked him.

"In a different way, but hell yes I do!" Kensei told her.

"I see," Haruka muttered. "I suppose we'll see then."

"What the hell did you do to your uniform anyways? And what the hell are you wearing under it?" Kensei demanded.

"I modified it a little," Haruka answered. "They never said I couldn't keep my bodysuit on under it, and yours is wide open, so why can't mine be that way? As for the sleeve, it just had to go."

"You can't even try to look like a Shinigami!" Kensei shouted, his irritation level rising once again.

"Well, I'm not exactly a real Shinigami yet, am I? Or at least, no one is acting like I am," Haruka pointed out.

"Because you're not!"

"Then what's the problem?"

"You-I-Fuck it, you're like a stubborn ass mule."

"So I've been told."

"I'm fucking sure you have."

"Mhm," Haruka hummed. "Wasn't I supposed to come here for a reason?"

"Other than to annoy the hell out of me?" Kensei challenged.

"I would hope that that wasn't one of the reasons the Captain-Commander sent me here," Haruka replied. "That would be pretty rough for you in the long run."

"Do you ever stop?"

"Ever stop what?"

"I swear, if you keep running your mouth…"

"Hey, I only reciprocate what I'm given, brother. If you weren't being so irate with me, then yes, I would stop."

"Fucking fine then," Kensei finally conceded. "I'll be civil, if it'll make you stop."

"Then I'll be civil, too," Haruka agreed.

"Mashiro, go get the sword," Kensei ordered.

"Why don't you go get it?" Mashiro challenged.

"Just fucking do it, damn it!" Kensei barked. Mashiro merely huffed before she walked away as slowly as possible to go get the sword.

"At least I'll get away from the stupid bandit!" Mashiro called back.

"I didn't picture her as one of the ones that wouldn't like me," Haruka observed.

"She's an idiot. Just ignore her," Kensei scoffed.

"I'll keep that in mind," Haruka told him. "So what sword is she getting?"

"Yours," Kensei answered. "That's why they took your blades away."

"Oh," Haruka muttered. "I figured they did that for…other reasons."

"Other reasons?"

"Yeah, you know, so I wouldn't be tempted to attack someone."

"I don't think anyone's quite that paranoid of you."

"I think you'd be surprised."

"You've got to be joking."

"No, I'm not. Lieutenant Sasakibe was quite paranoid when he brought me here."

"Maybe it's the stare that scares them."

"They call me Dead-Eye for a reason."

A moment of silent passed as they waited for the lieutenant to return with Haruka's sword, but she was obviously taking her time in order to piss Kensei off even more. His small talk with Haruka wasn't helping too much either, but it wasn't too bad compared to Mashiro's whining.

"So, nice tattoo," Haruka observed. "Mildly ironic, too."

"And how is that?" Kensei breathed.

"Did you not notice mine?" Haruka asked him. He thought for a moment, trying to recall if he had seen a tattoo on her when they were in the bandit village. Then it struck him that he had noticed a tattoo on her skin; he had noticed it when they first stumbled across the bandits in the woods, when she was propped against a tree. Around the time that he and the other Shinigami decided to leave, he noticed that her bodysuit had been slit on both sides of her hips, but on the left side, there was also a small number tattooed there. It was the number 96.

"That's disturbing," Kensei noted, looking down at his own tattoo. "Why 96?"

"Why 69?" Haruka countered. "Because it has meaning to me."

"Care to elaborate?" Kensei asked. She didn't say anything for a moment, just staring at him and contemplating before she let out a breath.

"Sure, why the hell not?" Haruka muttered. "It has two meanings, really. After my family abandoned me, it took me ninety-six days until I broke down and went to the bandit village. I was also the ninety-sixth leader of my village."

"That village must have been pretty old to have that many leaders," Kensei noted.

"Not really. They died or were killed quite often. It's only been around for about a century and a half," Haruka explained.

"I got the stupid sword, Kensei-baka!" they heard Mashiro yell, and they both turned to look at her.

"You took your damn time about it!" Kensei shouted. Mashiro just huffed again, and threw the sword to Kensei before she gave Haruka one last glare and stomped off.

"She wasn't like that in the village," Haruka muttered.

"I told you, she's an idiot," Kensei reminded her.

"So there's no reason for her acting like that?" Haruka wondered.

"She usually never has a reason for anything she does, but I guess I did yell at her for scaring that kid in your village," Kensei explained.

"I see. So, she probably blames me for that," Haruka observed.

"Most likely. Now, enough with the fucking small talk. Do you know anything about focusing your reiryoku into something?" Kensei asked her. "And please tell me you do, because I do not want to waste my time trying to teach you how."

"I've heard of it and I have idea of how," Haruka told him. "But I've never actually done it."

"Good enough," Kensei muttered. "Here, take this and focus on trying to concentrate some of your reiryoku in it. That sword has an Asauchi in it, which is an unnamed zanpakutō, essentially. When it feels your reiryoku, it should change itself around that because it'll be able to feel you through it."

"Okay," Haruka agreed, reaching out and taking the sword from the captain. It was just a normal looking katana to her, with nothing really special about it. She wasn't really used to holding a full-fledged sword like this, either; she preferred her Sai blades, really, because they were smaller and easier for her maneuver quickly, plus she was used to fighting with them.

She hadn't even been holding the sword for a minute before it started to do something weird to her. It felt like it was vibrating or something, and this warm sensation started to go up her arm. It was like the sword was almost trying to reach into her or something, and the sensation just kept moving until it went through her entire arm, across her collarbone, and down her chest until it reached the spot where her heart was. Once it got there, it was liked it latched onto her; it didn't hurt or anything, but it was definitely a strange feeling. After she felt the sensation latch onto her, it slowly started to fade, little by little, until it was gone completely and a new feeling took its place. It was almost like her whole body was weightless or something, and she was filled with some sort of new energy that she had never experienced before.

And to make things even stranger for her, the sword started acting weird itself. Some of the energy that she was feeling seemed to leak into the sword, and then it started to morph right before Haruka's eyes. It started to glow at first, and then the glow started to pulsate as the sword seemed to start splitting itself in two and shrink at the same time. The pulsing just getting faster and faster, before it turned into a steady glow once more and then finally disbursed, revealing its true form, or forms, really. Instead of just one simple katana, Haruka was left with two blades, and to her delight, they were Sai blades. The only differences between these and her old ones were the prongs and the hilts. The side prongs were a little longer than her old ones, and they curved in and out in a wave of sorts instead of just being straight. The hilts were also a little bigger than the ones on her old Sai blades, and they were wrapped in intertwining black and yellow clothes that were torn in some spots.

"Was it supposed to do that?" Haruka wondered, causing Kensei t turn back around towards. He had been watching some of the members of his division train because he thought it would take her a little longer to figure it out, but obviously he was mistaken.

"That was quick," he noted. "I thought you said you never concentrated your reiryoku into something before."

"I haven't, and I'm pretty sure I didn't then. I was just holding it and staring at it for a moment and it just started changing," Haruka told him.

"I guess the old man wasn't wrong when he said that he thought you were on the level of a lieutenant," Kensei observed.

"Meaning what, exactly?" Haruka asked him.

"If you weren't focusing your reiryoku into the sword, then it must have leaked into it without you intending on to," Kensei told her. "Which means you're stronger than I thought, and that you're hiding more of you reiatsu than we realized. Why is that?"

"No reason, really. I've just been doing it for so long it's involuntary now," Haruka admitted.

"Right," Kensei huffed. "Figures, you would do something and then not have a clue how you did it."

"Hey, it's my first day, brother. I wasn't taught about this shit before I got here, you know," Haruka retorted.

"And what the fuck is your point?"

"That it would make sense why I don't have a clue about some of this shit, brother."

"Am I supposed to feel bad for you?"

"Nope, but maybe you should parading around and celebrating, because if I keep going at this rate through your 'training' then we won't have to see too much of each other soon."

"Oh trust me, I'm sending up a prayer every five minutes that I won't have to be around you much longer."

"I didn't figure you for the praying type, bro."

"What is it with this 'brother' and 'bro' shit?"

"Why? Got a problem with it?"

"It's annoying as hell!"

"Well tough shit, because that's just how I talk.'

"There you go again, running your damn mouth!"

"You started it, Mr. 'Figures, You Would Do Something And Then Not Have A Clue How You Did It'."

"Why you little-!"

"Kensei-baka!" Mashiro's scream cut Kensei off right as he was about to hurtle some insults at the bandit that was standing in front of him.

"What the hell is it now, Mashiro?!" he yelled.

"Why are you paying so much attention to that stupid bandit? It doesn't make sense!" Mashiro whined, and then another argument commenced between the two. Haruka just shook her head and took a seat on a nearby boulder; she had a feeling that she would be there for a while.

* * *

Things didn't get too much better after that. Since she had put her reiryoku into her sword so fast, he wanted to see if her spiritual energy had actually affected the entire blade and not just its appearance, aka, he wanted to see if the spirit of her blade had already manifested itself. Kensei had figured that she should go ahead and start trying to communicate with her zanpakutō through Jinzen, which was a common practice among Gotei 13 officers that he figured everyone could do. He was wrong, however, because Haruka had no clue how to do it. She probably would have picked up on it fast, though, if he had actually taken the time to explain how to do it. Instead, he just went a rage on how it should be easy for her because even an idiot like Mashiro could do it, which caused those two to argue again, which wasted a tremendous amount of time. And when they finally got done fighting, he starting raging at Haruka again, and she responded with sarcastic comments as usual, or by running her mouth as Kensei liked to call it. At the end of the day, they just wasted all their time arguing, and Haruka made no progress whatsoever in discovering her shikai or talking with her zanpakutō. She had figured that the process of talking to her zanpakutō would take some time, but at this rate, it was going to take her a century to do it.

Until they could find some room for her in Ninth Division, she would have to board in the First Division, which meant that she had a nice little walk to make after Kensei finally let her go for the day. With her Sai blades strapped across her lower back, she slowly made her way back to the division that she had been in earlier that day. She took her time, trying to take in some sights and whatnot; it was a lot more peaceful this time through because there weren't too many people around to stare at her and whisper about her. The night air was cool around her and the moon was shining brightly, giving some peace to her hectic day.

"Haruka-san," she heard someone call. She looked beside her, only to find a lieutenant there. He was one of the ones that had been on her village just a few days before; he had glasses, brown hair and eyes, plus he had a bit of a tan pigment to his skin.

"Uh, you must be…Lieutenant Aizen," Haruka stated.

"How did you know that?" he asked her, with a genuinely surprised look on his face.

"There was this woman back in my village, and I swear, she was the Gotei 13's biggest fan," Haruka answered. "She gave me a rundown on who most of you guys were."

"I see. May I ask how your training is going?" he started.

"You can, but you won't get much of an answer," she told him. "It wasn't very eventful."

"Ah, maybe you'll have better luck tomorrow. This is just your first day," the lieutenant observed.

"That's what I said, brother" Haruka muttered. "And I got told to stop being such a little bitch."

"Oh, Captain Muguruma must have been stuck with training you," Aizen observed.

"Yes, he got stuck with me," Haruka sarcastically scoffed. "You people must have great opinions of me if you say people are getting stuck with me."

"I didn't mean any offense," Aizen quickly apologized.

"You'd be the first today that didn't mean any," Haruka pointed out.

"Ah, Captain Hirako did mention that he ran into you earlier," Aizen observed.

"He should have mentioned that he stalked me earlier," Haruka corrected him, "Just like you did."

"What do you," Aizen started, but Haruka was quick to cut him off.

"I'm not an idiot, brother. You're not the only one that's been stalking me today, either. What are you people so curious about that you feel it excuses stalking?" Haruka asked him.

"I apologize, Haruka-san; again, I meant no offense," Aizen assured her.

"I believe you, but you're probably the only one that didn't," Haruka breathed. "Anyways, I'm going to head off to First Division. Sorry if I seemed a bit snappy with you, Lieutenant Aizen: it's been a long day."

"I understand, Haruka-san," Aizen told her.

"Maybe I'll run into you when I'm in a better mood," Haruka called back as she started walking off, and when she received no reply, she just kept walking. Looking tall was starting to be a difficult thing to do, but she was no quitter.

_**Author's Note: Well, this took longer to post than I thought. My apologies, but I hope that you enjoyed this chapter even if it took me a while to post it. So, what do you guys think: is she having a rough start or what? And, you always have to have that Aizen encounter, right? A special thank you to Harlz96, chocoholic123, Fanisa, Snowski, and Dark-Forest-Clouds for the follows, favorites, and reviews, and to everyone else, please do the same if you like it because it makes me happy to know what you guys think about all of this! **_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hint, hint: The separated bold text is Haruka's inner world…I couldn't do it in italic because that's what I usually do for memories and such, so yeah…Look out for the bold text. Should have put a spoiler alert, too, huh?:P**_

Chapter Six- Progress

Haruka was kind of starting to feel like Kensei. She was irritated beyond belief, and it all started when this child decided that it would be a good idea to follow her around all morning. He didn't say anything, he just trudged after her wherever she went, and he even knew how to Shunpo so that wasn't an option for her. If she took one step forward, he took one step forward; if she looked sideways, he looked sideways. He was worse than Mashiro and he hadn't even spoken yet. Hell, Haruka hadn't even looked at the kid yet: she was trying to ignore him so he would go away, but this persistent little bastard just didn't play that way.

"What do you want?" Haruka demanded, quickly turning around so she could finally look at the kid.

"Oh, shit," she thought. "It's that fucking Kuchiki kid, of all people. Ginrei is going to have my ass for this…"

"You're an embarrassment to the Gotei 13," the kid, a young Byakuya Kuchiki, stated. Haruka just stared at him for a moment, unsure how to go about this situation.

"And why do you say that, kid?" Haruka finally breathed, deciding to play along with the kid for now.

"Because my grandfather said so," Byakuya scoffed.

"He would say that, wouldn't he?" Haruka muttered. "Why are you following me? Was it just to tell me that? 'Cuz if that's the case, you can go now."

"I don't see why everyone's afraid of you," Byakuya huffed.

"Me neither," Haruka agreed. "Pity a child is the first one to see that there's no reason to be afraid of me."

"Everybody talks about you, you know," the kid pointed out.

"I'm not an idiot, kid, I know," Haruka assured him.

"Then why don't you make them stop?" Byakuya asked her.

"Because I don't care what they say," Haruka answered.

"Why not?"

"You're just full of questions, aren't you, brother?"

"That's why I know so much: because I ask questions."

"Yeah, yeah, you're a child prodigy. Trust me, you're grandfather has rubbed that in my face plenty of times."

"Do you hate my grandfather?"

"No."

"Why not? He certainly seems to hate you."

"I respect him, kid. I see what he's doing: he's one of the strictest law and tradition followers around here, and after a life with no law and traditions, I can see the importance of having people like that. He is an example to everyone around him, and what he does is important even if a lot of people can't understand that."

"Have you told him that?"

"No."

"Will you?"

"I doubt it. I also doubt that he'd care to hear it."

"I see. You never answered my other question."

"Which one? You've had quite a few?"

"Why don't you care?"

"About what?"

"About what people say about you."

Haruka let out another breath. This kid just wasn't going to give her a break. It was like she was talking to herself or something; he was stubborn as all hell and persistent to top it all off. Maybe this was karma kicking in…

"Do you really want to know?" Haruka breathed, running her hand through her hair.

"Yes," Byakuya answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"These people don't like me, kid, so why should I like them? And if I don't like them, why should I care what they say? They don't know me, so I know that whatever it is that they're saying is complete bullshit, pardon the language. If it was my friend or something, then maybe I would consider caring, but as you can see, I don't have many of those here," she explained.

"Have you ever had friends?" Byakuya wondered, but he wasn't trying to be a smartass or anything. He was genuinely curious, and considering this was one of the only civil conversations that Haruka had had during her time in the Seireitei so far, she felt mildly obligated to answer him.

"When I was young, no, but when I…left my family, I made a lot of friends. There were a lot of people that depended on me before I came here, and I considered them all very close friends to me," Haruka told him, with complete honesty.

"Why'd you leave them to come here, a place where you have no friends and no one trusts you?" Byakuya continued.

"It seemed like the right thing to do at the time," Haruka huffed. "I'm still debating whether it really was or not."

"Why do you never smile?" Now that, was one hell of a question that Haruka was not expecting.

"Are you never happy?" Byakuya added.

"Not exactly," Haruka muttered. "Although that's not far from the truth in this place."

"So?" Byakuya hummed.

"I was a bandit for goodness sake, kid. You can't show your emotions around people like that. They will eat you alive if you do," Haruka told him.

"You're holding something back," Byakuya challenged.

"What?" Haruka scoffed.

"That's not the only reason why you never smile," Byakuya pointed out.

"You are too smart for your own good," Haruka grumbled. "People can be cruel, kid"

"And people were cruel to you and that's why you don't smile?" Byakuya guessed.

"That would be a viable assumption," Haruka breathed.

"I see. I think I understand you now," Byakuya claimed.

"And?" Haruka asked him, wondering where he was going with this. "After all those questions, you're bound to have figured something out about me…"

"I don't think you're as bad as everyone says," he stated.

"Again, it's a pity a child figured that out before anyone else here," Haruka muttered. "You really are a prodigy, aren't you?"

"They just don't understand you," Byakuya continued.

"I've been trying to tell people that for the last five months," Haruka scoffed.

"So, even though you're a no good bandit and a failure as a Shinigami," Byakuya started.

"You're such a flatterer," Haruka stated, with sarcasm practically oozing out of her.

"I'll be your friend," Byakuya finally finished. Haruka just raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm not sure your family will like that," Haruka pointed out.

"Well, we can't be very close friends. We have to keep it a secret, so if you ever see me out in public, don't come near me," he explained.

"Even when he's trying to be nice, he's still a brat," Haruka thought. "Leave to a Kuchiki, right?"

"Sure," Haruka finally agreed. "I guess I at least have one friend now, huh?"

"Indeed," Byakuya nodded. "Now, I'm taking my leave of you. If I never see you again, it'll be too soon."

And he Shunpo'd off, blowing all kinds of dirt and dust onto Haruka.

"That little shit," she scoffed. "Some friend."

But, at least someone finally seemed to understand her, if only a little bit. That was why she liked kids so much: they weren't as judgmental as adults. Even the Kuchiki kid, whose family despised her very being and hated the fact that she was even breathing the same air as them, gave her a chance to explain herself before anyone else. Now granted he did do it in a very annoying manner, he still tried to give her a chance, and he was apparently her friend now, although she wasn't going to hold too much credit to that. But technically, he was still her very first friend in the Gotei 13, which was sad, really, and the more she thought about it, the sadder it got.

She'd been there for five months now, and she had made no progress with anyone there, well, except for the Kuchiki kid, of course. Everyone still thought that she was there to kill them or rob them, or in Kensei's case, annoy them to death. People were still insulting her (and the insults were never very creative, much to Haruka's dismay) and she was still being threatened by several captains and lieutenants and other officers (again, the threats were all the same, which just bored Haruka). She hadn't had a decent conversation with someone for months until now, and she could hardly call the question game that she just played with Byakuya a 'decent conversation; it was probably the closest she would get to one, though.

Her training wasn't going too well at this point, either. She still hadn't been able to communicate with her zanpakutō, and it didn't help that Kensei hadn't actually told her how Jinzen worked until about a month ago. Haruka had tried her damnedest to get it through his thick skull that most Shinigami recruits had to have their swords for years, decades even, before their reiryoku was able to affect the Asauchi in their swords. He knew that, but he figured that since her reiryoku had changed the appearance of her sword so quickly, that she should be able to converse with her zanpakutō all day by now. And of course, the fact that she couldn't irritated him to no end. And if he was irritated, then Mashiro was annoying and whiny, too, and that just didn't help things one damn bit.

"Ah, shit, I'm late," Haruka scoffed. If Kensei wasn't going to be pissed off enough as it was…

"Haruka!" Speak of the devil, huh? And boy, was the devil broody today!

"Fancy meeting you here, Kensei," Haruka muttered.

"Does this training mean nothing to you?" he demanded, storming over to her with a quickness and anger in his step that made all of the other Shinigami in the area back away from the pair.

"It'd be pretty fucked up if it didn't, don't you think?" Haruka answered. "I mean, that'd be five months wasted, right?"

"It already is five months wasted!" Kensei shouted. "You have gotten nowhere in your training and it **is** ridiculous! Here I am, wasting my time trying to help you, and you don't even care about it enough to put forth any effort!"

"I never said I didn't care about it," Haruka pointed out.

"You wouldn't be late if you cared!" Kensei argued.

"This is the first time that I've been late, brother. Shit happens," Haruka breathed.

"Like what?" he seethed.

"Like small, stubborn ass children who have an endless amount of questions," Haruka scoffed, and she was finally able to break through Kensei's anger.

"What?" he muttered, mildly confused by her answer.

"That was my reaction, but he just wouldn't go away. It was question after question," Haruka explained.

"Then why didn't you just walk away?" Kensei asked her, his irritation on the rise again.

"Well, you see, not many people will talk civilly to me here, so I take what I can get, even if it is from a kid," Haruka told him. Kensei just let out a deep breath and shook his head.

"Just get to the damn training fields," he ordered.

"I planned to," Haruka stated. "See ya there, Captain Muguruma."

Before Kensei could retort, Haruka Shunpo'd off into the distance towards the Ninth Division training fields. It could be said that she was following the example of her newest friend, but no one would or could know that but her. She had a distinct feeling, though, that she had just managed to piss Kensei off even more…

* * *

"How come she gets to sit on the rock?" Mashiro whined.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kensei grumbled; he knew exactly what was about to happen.

"It's a boulder, I do believe," Haruka commented, and she just fueled the childish fire that was already starting to burn within the green-headed lieutenant.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid bandit!" Mashiro shouted. She then proceeded to fall to the ground and thrash about rather violently.

"I'm starting to think that you enjoy making her do that," Kensei commented.

"Please, if I enjoyed it then I would be smiling, right?" Haruka pointed out.

"I don't think you can even change your facial expression," Kensei stated.

"I assume that I can. I haven't tried for quite some time," she admitted. "I think she's in for the long run this time."

"And thank you for that," Kensei sarcastically spat. "Because that is all that I needed today: to watch you fail at your training **again** and hear her whine all damn day."

"I do what I can, brother," Haruka shrugged. As she settled herself on top of the boulder that she had chosen for the day and crossed her legs, Haruka reached behind her to grab her two Sai blades, aka, her zanpakutō. She carefully set them on her lap, and with one last glance towards Mashiro (who was still in the process of throwing her fit), Haruka closed her eyes and set about trying to contact her zanpakutō.

She cleared her mind of all thoughts, and she evened out her breathing to a steady rhythm. The only thing that was distracting her was the constant yelling in the background. Mashiro was still screaming in her fit, and then Kensei started yelling for her to shut the hell up. The two were constantly raising their volume in order to be louder than one another, and Haruka could hardly focus for their voices ringing through her head. But eventually, the two started to quiet down, or at least they seemed to to Haruka. When everything finally went silent, Haruka felt herself start to drift off, as if she was falling asleep but yet she was still completely conscious of herself…

* * *

**Something was different. Haruka could smell rain in the air, yet it had been a clear day when she shut her eyes. She could feel moisture on her skin, like she had been caught in the rain or something, and the air was practically charged with static. Something was definitely different, but she didn't know what. As thunder cracked in the sky above her, Haruka's heart nearly jumped out of her chest and her eyes shot open. **

** She was most definitely not in the Ninth Division anymore. As Haruka looked around, she saw that she was standing in an open field with nothing but flowing grass around her. The sky was a dark purple hue and pitch black clouds were rolling towards her in the distance. They had yet to reach her, but her skin was still soaked like she had already been rained on. The wind was raging around her, and for a moment, Haruka felt like a child again. She still found thunderstorms to be quite unsettling, but there was something renewing about them nonetheless. **

** "You finally made it." Haruka's head shot around as she looked for the source of the voice that had spoken to her, but she found no one.**

** "I thought you'd never hear me," the voice commented, "With those buffoons being so obnoxious and distracting you." It was a woman's voice that was speaking to her, that was obvious, but other than that, the voice was unfamiliar to Haruka.**

** "Where am I?" Haruka muttered.**

** "Isn't it obvious, my dear?" the voice asked her.**

** "No, not really," Haruka stated, elongating her words for effect. "I wouldn't have asked if it was."**

** "I suppose the idiot didn't really explain how this would work," the voice contemplated. "I guess I'll just spell it out for you then: this is your inner world."**

** "Really?" Haruka mused. "I didn't think it would be quite like this."**

** "It's a reflection of you," the voice pointed out.**

** "Wait, so if this is my inner world," Haruka started. "Does that mean you're…?"**

** "Yes." Haruka instantly shot around; the voice had been much closer then, and it sounded like it was right behind her. As soon as she was fully turned around, Haruka came face to face with the owner of the voice, and she wasn't quite sure what to think.**

** It was in fact a woman that had been speaking to Haruka; she a fairly tall woman, about the same height as Haruka, and she also had the same animalistic yellow eyes that Haruka had. Unlike Haruka, however, she was extremely tan instead of being ghostly pale, and instead of short brown hair, she had endlessly long dark green hair. She had a lovely shaped face as well, with equally beautiful facial features to match. She was wearing a gorgeously embroidered dark purple kimono, and its tail was as endlessly long as her hair. Everything about this woman was beautiful, and Haruka was at a loss for words. **

** "Surprise, surprise," the woman sang. "You didn't need me to spell that part out for you."**

** "Alright, so I made it this far," Haruka commented. "Now what?"**

** "I suppose you want me to spill all the secrets about my powers to you," the spirit suggested.**

** "I guess," Haruka agreed.**

** "Well, it's not going to happen!" the zanpakutō spirit sang.**

** "I figured that," Haruka told her.**

** "Then why did you agree with me?" the spirit asked her, flabbergasted.**

** "Because that is what I want, but I figured that you wouldn't just up and give it to me," Haruka shrugged.**

** "You really are irritating. That idiotic captain is right!"**

** "Please, let's not talk about Kensei here."**

** "Why not?"**

** "Because."**

** "Because why?"**

** "And you called me irritating…"**

** "I did, but that doesn't explain why you don't want to talk about him."**

** "Why would I wanna talk about him?"**

** "Why not?"**

** "Because I find him just as irritating as he finds me." The spirit just stared at Haruka for a moment.**

** "Is that why you try to annoy him so much?" the spirit guessed.**

** "No. If he actually tried to be civil with me, then I wouldn't try to annoy him," Haruka explained. **

** "I see," the spirit mused. "Enough of this! Let us do battle!"**

** "Let us do battle?" Haruka repeated, but the female spirit didn't say another word; the spirit reached into her sleeves and pulled a pair of Sai blades out. The prongs, the hilt, the blade, everything about the blades was pitch black, but before Haruka could examine them anymore, the spirit lashed out an attacked her. Before Haruka could jump away, the spirit managed to give engrave pretty deep cut across the right side of her forehead, and blood poured down Haruka's face.**

** "Come on! Put some effort into it!" the spirit demanded, charging at Haruka once more. As Haruka jumped away this time, she quickly reached up and tried to wipe some of the blood out of her right eye, but she was unable to finish the process before the spirit caught up to her and kicked her to the ground.**

** "If you think this is going to be easy," the spirit began from where she was standing over Haruka, "then you are in for a rude awakening."**

* * *

"Captain Muguruma!" Kensei was abruptly pulled from his argument with Mashiro as one of his division members came sprinting towards him.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"Captain, there's a Hollow," the officer panted.

"Where?" Kensei didn't sense a Hollow anywhere near him or his division, but based on the panic in the officer's eyes, he knew that something was terribly wrong.

"It's-it's here!" the officer told him.

"Shit," Kensei cursed. "Haruka!"

When he didn't receive a reply, Kensei swung around, fully ready to give the former bandit yet another piece of his mind, but he was stopped short by the sight that was in front of him. Blood was gushing down the side of Haruka's face and falling onto her chest, and new but smaller wounds were appearing on her every second.

"Damn it! Of all times for you to actually enter Jinzen!" Kensei scoffed.

"Kensei-baka!" Mashiro shouted, and as Kensei turned around, he saw that the Hollow had already revealed itself. It wasn't the biggest Hollow that he'd ever seen, but it was still fairly large. It looked similar to an oversized wolf, but with its deformed face and legs, that was a very loose similarity.

"What do we do?" Mashiro asked him.

"We're going to destroy it, what else?" Kensei told her, but he was in for a much longer fight than he anticipated.

* * *

** "It seems like your friends are in trouble," the spirit commented, twirling the Sai blade in her right hand.**

** "What friends?" Haruka panted.**

** "Your Shinigami friends," the spirit told her.**

** "Would you really consider them my friends?" Haruka asked her, and as the spirit thought about her answer for a moment, Haruka took the opportunity to try turning the tables. She Shunpo'd at the female spirit, who had continued to spin her right Sai blade, and before the spirit realized what was happening, Haruka grabbed the spinning Sai and ripped it away from the spirit. Before Haruka could Shunpo away, though, the spirit took her remaining Sai and slashed Haruka across the neck with it.**

** "You're lucky," the spirit commented when Haruka jumped away from her again. Haruka reached up and touched her neck, and when she felt how just how deep the wound was, she realized that the spirit was right.**

** "Just a little deeper and you'd have been history," the spirit added.**

** "Lucky me, huh?" Haruka muttered. **

** "You took one of my blades, too," the spirit mused. "You might have a chance after all."**

** "Why thank y-ah!" Haruka couldn't finish her sarcastic statement; an immense pain radiated throughout her side. The pain was so intense that it brought Haruka to her knees and she screamed with a volume greater than Mashiro and Kensei had ever used.**

** "What the hell?!" Haruka screamed.**

** "I told you they were in trouble," the spirit sang. "Seems like you are, too…Double time at that."**

* * *

"Damn it!" Kensei seethed. No matter what he and Mashiro threw at the damn thing, it regenerated right on the spot and it hardly even noticed that they actually hit it. And to top it all off, the thing used its tail as a weapon! The Hollow could stretch its tail as far as it wanted, and the end of it was as sharp as any blade. The power that Hollow had behind each swing of its tail was tremendous, as well.

"Kensei!" His luck wasn't all bad, though, because when he looked behind him, he saw that his back-up had arrived. Shinji had arrived, along with several of his squad members. Shunsui was also there, which made sense since his division was close to Kensei's, and a Fourth Division officer had also showed up.

"Having an issue?" Shinji asked him.

"Yes, this thing keeps regenerating as soon as we hit it!" Kensei warned him.

"Well, that's no good," Shunsui breathed. "Where are the rest of your men?"

"I told them to get the hell out of here! This thing is way too strong for trainees to try to take it on!" Kensei told him.

"Haruka's still here, though," Mashiro pointed out.

"Really?" Shunsui asked, surprised that Kensei hadn't sent the former bandit away with everyone else.

"Yeah, she's stuck in Jinzen," Kensei scoffed.

"Huh, I'll be damned. I owe Yoruichi now," Shinji commented. "Where is Haruka anyways?"

"On that boulder back there," Kensei stated, pointing behind him with his thumb.

"Oh, shit," Shinji breathed. "She's not doing too good."

Kensei looked back to check for himself , and sure enough, Haruka was not just gushing blood from her head; her neck also had a deep gash on it now.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" Kensei shouted to the Fourth Division officer.

"The Hollow!" the officer shouted.

"What the about it?" Kensei demanded. The Fourth Division officer tried pointing something out, but his warning came too late. Kensei noticed what the officer meant too late, as well. The Hollow had finally noticed the incapacitated Haruka, and it had decided to make her its new prey. While the Shinigami had been talking amongst themselves, the Hollow reared its tail back and thrust it towards Haruka, and it hit its target dead-on. The Hollow impaled Haruka's side with its tail, crushing through her ribs and tearing through some of her muscles and organs as it went. Kensei Shunpo'd as fast as he could towards Haruka, and as soon as he reached her he sliced the end of the Hollow's tail off. The part that was left in Haruka began to dissipate, and the Hollow was quick to retract the rest of its damaged appendage so it could regenerate safely.

"Damn it!" Kensei spat, watching the blood start to gush out of Haruka's newest wound.

"Get over here!" Kensei yelled at the Fourth Division officer, and this time, the officer sprinted over to the injured woman and irate captain.

"Damn, she's still in Jinzen, even after that," Shinji commented. This battle was going to be much more complicated than they thought.

* * *

**"Damn it," Haruka muttered.**

** "What, done already?" the spirit taunted.**

** "Nope, it just hurts, that's all," Haruka spat through gritted teeth. Her legs shook as she pushed herself up from the ground, but she momentarily fought through the pain. She was going to have to come up with a new strategy, and fast. Usually, she would have liked to take her time with something like this, but with all of the blood that she was losing, she didn't have much time left to spare. **

**As she stared the spirit that was standing across from her down, Haruka hurriedly recalled the battle that they had had. So far, it had mainly been the spirit who was on offensive; she was the one that was always charging Haruka, not the other way around. Haruka had only charged at the spirit once, but now that she thought about it, that was really the only time that she had made any progress in the battle because that was when she took one of the spirit's weapons. Charging her enemy didn't look too appealing at that point, though. She was in an awful amount of pain, and Haruka doubted that she could even take a step without falling over in agony. **

**Maybe charging at the spirit wasn't the key, though. Maybe it was just getting close to the spirit without running away from her…A plan that included not running certainly looked much more appealing to Haruka than a plan with running…**

"**You still with me?" the spirit mocked.**

"**Yeah," Haruka muttered, her voice raspy with exertion.**

"**Hm…Maybe you're not cut out for it after all," the spirit commented.**

"**Cut out for what?" Haruka wondered.**

"**Being a Shinigami," the spirit told her.**

"**It doesn't seem like I'm cut out for much of anything these days," Haruka mused. **

"**So it seems," the spirit agreed. "Oh well, I guess I'll just end you here!"**

**And the spirit fell right into Haruka's trap. The long-haired beauty charged at Haruka once more, but this time, Haruka didn't move. The spirit looked at her like she was an idiot, but she still went through with her attack. She thrust her remaining Sai into Haruka's uninjured side, drawing even more fresh blood out of the already injured woman. But, instead of trying to get away from the spirit and her blade, Haruka wrapped her left arm around the spirit's back and trapped her in front of her. Haruka then took the Sai that she had stolen and with all of her remaining might she stabbed it into the spirit's belly and held it there. She even pulled the spirit closer to her with her left arm and tried to push the blade in even deeper for good measure.**

"**You clever bitch," the spirit laughed, taking Haruka off guard.**

"**Don't tell me you're numb to pain," Haruka grumbled.**

"**Not exactly, but you are stabbing me with my own blade, you know," the spirit chuckled.**

"**Great. No wonder you're in such a good mood," Haruka muttered. "Here I am in pain, and you can't feel a thing."**

"**That's not why I'm happy," the spirit told her. "I'm happy because you finally got it."**

"**Oh, well, thanks then," Haruka stated, correcting herself.**

"**And I am in pain," the spirit added. "I'm in pain every time you are. You may not show everyone else your sorrow, but I always feel it."**

"**I'm sorry," Haruka told her, and she was being sincere. **

"**Don't be. You have to share your pain with someone, and who else would be better than me, someone who's always with you," the spirit assured her. "Besides, I love you, Haruka."**

"**Oh," Haruka stuttered. Things were starting to get a little weird and uncomfortable for her…**

"**I've always loved you Haruka, especially when I shared your pain with you. I'm a part of you Haruka, and you are a part of me. I am the heart that you refuse to show others, and you are the strength that supports me."**

"**Like a team, huh?"**

"**Yes, like a team. I don't want you to die, Haruka. I want you to live. I want you to live and open your heart to someone because I want your strength. I want you to have the best of me so I can have the best of you, so that way, we can be in true harmony together."**

"**Then tell me your name."**

"**I'm getting to that."**

"**Oh, than please, continue."**

"**I love you, Haruka, and while you may not care what people say to you or how they wrong you, I do. I hate them. I want to tear them apart from the inside out. I want revenge for you, Haruka, and I will not rest until I get that. You want my name, Haruka? Well then I'll tell you. I am-"**

* * *

"Haruka!" Kensei yelled. The Hollow was definitely clever. It had sacrificed its legs in order to make a cage of some sort, and it had used that cage to trap Mashiro, Shinji, Shunsui, and everyone else that could have helped Kensei when it made its next move. The Hollow had pretended like it was going to stab Haruka with its tail again, and right as it was about to hit her, Kensei Shunpo'd over to her and grabbed the Hollow's tail with both if his arms. He was strong enough to hold the Hollows tail at bay, but the Hollow was far from deterred. The Hollow used Kensei's hold on its tail as leverage and it swung its body around. It had its mouth wide open and at that rate it was moving, its jaws were going to land right around Haruka.

Everything slowly started coming back to Haruka. The first thing that she heard was the sound of Kensei's voice yelling her name. She slowly cracked her eyes open, only to see a rather large Hollow swinging its head towards her with its jaws wide open. She also saw Kensei; it was weird, seeing with such a worried and panicked look on his face, especially since it was concerning her. For just a split second, Haruka could have sworn that she saw something other than hatred for her in his expression, but then again, she could have just been delusional from blood loss.

"Haruka!" Kensei yelled again, and something about his yell brought a very recent memory to Haruka's mind.

_"I am Dokudosu, and I will reign over everyone who has ever caused you pain."_

"Oh," Haruka breathed. "I should probably move."

"_Yes, you should,_" she heard Dokudosu agree.

"You know, your name sounds like a boy's name," Haruka pointed out.

"_Now is not the time,_" Dokudosu chided.

"Right," Haruka agreed, picking her blades up from her lap. "Reign, Dokudosu."

And she was right on time, too. As soon as the Hollow's jaws were about to close around her, Haruka stabbed her weapons into the Hollow's upper jaw on the inside of its mouth. She wasn't quite sure what she was stabbing the Hollow with because she hadn't had time to look at the changed blades before she stabbed the Hollow with them. But, the Hollow viciously tore itself away from Haruka and it ripped its tail away from Kensei so it could fall back and heal itself. Haruka took that as the opportunity to observe her newly modified weapons.

They looked just like the Sai blades that Dokudosu had used in Haruka's inner world. Every part of them was pitch black, and the center spike had grown much longer than it had been in its normal form. The side prongs had also changed; they had shrunken just a little bit, and instead of being wavy, they were jagged with several extra small spikes now sticking out of them (like a cactus of sorts, if you will).

"Haruka!" Kensei called.

"Hm?" she hummed.

"What did you do to it?" he asked her.

"To what?" she replied.

"The fucking Hollow!" Kensei incredulously shouted.

"Oh," Haruka muttered, looking over to where the Hollow had fled. It had already regenerated itself, but instead of charging them again, it started to scrape its face against the ground, as if it was trying to get something off of it. The scraping soon turned into bashing, though. It started out hitting its head against the ground rather hard, but it just kept hitting its head harder and harder with each hit. The Hollow cried out in pain, even though it was not visibly injured, and it swung its head around to look for something. And it found it rather quickly. The Hollow quickly floated over to a tree that it had broken in its recent battle with the Shinigami, and it cocked its head back as far as it could go before it slammed it down on the jagged point that had become the top of the tree. The point went right through the Hollows mask, and the Hollow finally quit thrashing as it slowly died and dissipated. The cage that had been formed from its legs also fragmented into nothingness, freeing the Shinigami that had been trapped inside who immediately Shunpo'd over to Kensei and Haruka.

"Haruka, what did you do?" Kensei repeated.

"I don't know," Haruka admitted.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Kensei demanded.

"I was only told a name. We were kind of in a rush, so I wasn't given details on what my shikai actually did," Haruka told him.

"You would kill something and not know how you did it," Kensei spat.

"Well I think that she did a great job!" Shunsui announced, and he gave Haruka a hearty pat on the back for added effect. But as soon as his hand made contact with her, Haruka's whole world went black as a new wave of pain shot through her.

* * *

"Oops," Shunsui muttered, moving out of the way as the Fourth Division officer rushed over to Haruka, who had tumbled to the ground shortly after Shunsui touched her back.

"Oops?" Shinji repeated. "I think you killed her."

"Is Bandit-baka dead?" Mashiro asked, peaking over Shinji's shoulder to get a look at the woman.

"What the hell just happened?" Kensei shouted.

"She passed out," the Fourth Division officer informed them.

"No shit?" Shinji mocked. "I wouldn't have guessed."

"From blood loss and probably the pain of all her wounds," the officer quickly added.

"Well why aren't you healing her?" Kensei demanded.

"Is she gonna die?" Mashiro wondered.

"There's not much I can do here. She'll have to be brought back to Fourth Division," the officer told him.

"And why haven't you started doing that?" Shinji asked him.

"Well, she's a healthy girl, so I doubt that I'd be able to lift her," the officer pointed out, showing his scrawny arms off to prove his point.

"Did he really just say that?" Shunsui wondered.

"Yes, yes he did," Shinji muttered. "Way to insult a woman when she's down."

"I never called her fat," the officer quickly stated. "But she has certain 'assets' that make her a little weightier than other girls around here."

"Get out of the damn way!" Kensei shouted, and he stormed pass the foolish officer to pick up the fallen Haruka.

"She'd be dead of it was up to you!" he added before he Shunpo'd off towards Fourth Division, but before he left, everyone saw just how red his face had gotten. Why it was so red, they didn't know, but they had it feeling that it wasn't because he was mad…

_**Author's Note: Yay, a quick update! Three cheers for me because I stayed up until five o'clock in the morning writing it! Insomnia is a beautiful thing for a fanfiction writer, isn't it? Anyways, if you like it, please follow, favorite, or review, if for no other reason than to just humor me. And thank you DeadlyVampire-DayDream Corp for another review!**_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven-Answers

_ "I love you, Haruka, and while you may not care what people say to you or how they wrong you, I do. I hate them. I want to tear them apart from the inside out. I want revenge for you, Haruka, and I will not rest until I get that."_

* * *

"Don't hate them," Haruka muttered, her eyes fluttering open to stare at the blank ceiling above her. Well, now she was confused. Where the hell was she and why the hell did her body feel so damn sore?

_"The Hollow, dumbass," _Dokudosu scoffed.

"Hollow?" Haruka mumbled. "Oh, yeah, that Hollow."

Haruka had finally entered Jinzen, but at the same time, a Hollow decided to worm its way into the Ninth Division and attack. She had been caught in the crossfire, and since she was lost in her own inner world, she was unable to do anything to defend herself until it was almost too late. The son of a bitch tried to eat her after he practically shredded through her side, and she would have been history if she hadn't come to her senses at the last second. Hell, she wasn't even sure what her zanpakutō could do, so she just said the name and hoped that she wouldn't regret it. And she didn't, because even though she was a little worse for ware, she was still alive and she would fight another day. She was also surprised that she hadn't passed out sooner; she had lost a shit-ton of blood and several of her organs had been damaged. She supposed that the rush of adrenaline that she had at the time kept her from being immobilized by the pain, but as soon as the battle was over and Shunsui patted her on the pack, it sent a wave of pain throughout her entire body and she became thoroughly aware of all of her injuries for a split-second before she said 'fuck it' and passed out.

Everything else was a little fuzzy after that, but she faintly remembered hearing someone tell her that she 'better not fucking die on him', but that was it. As to who exactly said that to her, she didn't have the faintest clue, but then again it didn't really matter too much. Hell, she was probably just imagining it or something. Blood loss does tend to make a person a wee bit delusional…

"I see that you're awake," a gentle voice pointed out.

"Captain…Unohana?" Haruka guessed, turning her head to look at the woman that had spoken to her.

"My, my, and we haven't even been introduced yet," Unohana chuckled.

"Well, I do what I can," Haruka muttered. "What, uh, what happened after I went down?"

"Well, after you killed that Hollow you passed out from blood loss," Unohana told her.

"I've got up to that point. I mean, what happened after that?" Haruka repeated.

"Well, there wasn't much that my squad member could do for you there, so Captain Muguruma brought you here," Unohana continued.

"No shit? Grumpy ass Kensei actually carried my ass here?" Haruka wondered.

"Yes, he did, and he looked significantly worried as he stormed through here," Unohana mused. "He got you here just in time, too. Any longer and you would have died from losing so much blood."

"Significantly worried, huh?" Haruka murmured. "Tch, what an ass."

"Why do you say that, Haruka?" Unohana asked her. Haruka was mildly startled at the fact that the captain was still listening to her.

"Oh, uh, don't mind me, I'm just rambling," Haruka told her. "Where is he, anyways?"

"I insisted that he go back to his division once it started to get late," Unohana replied.

"I see. What is it, about midnight now?" Haruka wondered.

"Just about," Unohana agreed.

"Right. Will I be able to go back to training tomorrow?"

"If you take it easy, then you can."

"Please, I always take it easy," Haruka scoffed. The captain merely chuckled at the bandits antics before she finally left the room and went to tend to her other patients. Haruka stared at the spot where she had been standing for a few seconds before something else finally caught her eye. There was a vase of flowers on the stand beside her bed; they looked pretty expensive, but they were extremely colorful and beautiful. She reached over and grabbed the card that was stuck between some of the stems, and had a good, healthy snicker once she read it.

'Sorry for nearly killing you! ~Shunsui~'

He even drew a kissy face on it…

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Same thing I do every day when I come here."

The last thing that Kensei expected to see when he went to his division's training fields that morning was Haruka. Yet, there the bandit was, sitting on the same boulder that she normally sat on, looking nonchalant like nothing had even happened the day before, like she hadn't almost been ripped in half or almost bled to death. He had the urge to go by the Fourth Division and check on her, but the more he thought about the idea the more ridiculous it sounded. Why should he go check on her? It wasn't like they friends or anything…Hell, he could hardly stand to be in the same vicinity as the woman…So why was he worried about her? He figured, in an attempt to justify his worrying, that he would have been worried about anyone that had been in Haruka's place, even Mashiro. That was a situation that no one should have been put in, so he justified himself by saying that it wasn't just about _her_: it was the situation that got to him, or at least that was what he was going to tell himself and anyone else that bothered him about it.

"Shouldn't you be resting or something?" he demanded, running his hand through his hair.

"I did, and now I'm done," Haruka replied. It was obvious that she was still in pain; instead of sitting as straight as a board like she normally did, she was slightly slouched, favoring her injured side as well. She also looked paler than usual, and there were dark rims around both of her eyes. Kensei found her condition to be disconcerting, so say the least…Not that he would ever tell her that…

"Did Unohana even clear you to be out here?" Kensei asked her.

"She said it was fine as long as I take it easy," Haruka answered. "I figured sitting here on this boulder wouldn't be too strenuous…"

"I wouldn't imagine so," Kensei muttered.

"What's up with you?" Haruka piped up. Kensei looked at her like she had grown an extra sickly-looking head.

"What the hell do you mean?" he demanded.

"You're not…grumpy enough," Haruka mused.

"'Grumpy enough'?" Kensei repeated, cocking up an eyebrow in the process.

"Yeah, you haven't said one negative thing to me yet, and you haven't gone on a rant yet, either," Haruka told him. Kensei opened his mouth to retort to her ridiculous claim, but he couldn't get the words out as Mashiro started screaming and running towards the pair.

"Although, the day is still young," Haruka pointed out.

"I thought you were dead!" Mashiro shouted, causing Haruka to tilt her head a little. There wasn't a single trace of concern in the lieutenant's voice, nor did she sound too particularly happy that Haruka wasn't dead either. It was like she was scolding Haruka for not being dead, and that piqued Haruka's interest. It was different than the shit she was used to hearing. Of course, Mashiro wasn't exactly like other, **normal** people, was she? Haruka found most of the things that came out of the lieutenant's mouth so absolutely outrageous and ridiculous, and they made absolutely no sense whatsoever, but Haruka was intrigued by them nonetheless. They were different, and Haruka was so tired of hearing the same old shit that she couldn't help but pay attention to the childish banter of a woman that seemed to loathe her very existence for no reason. It was sad, really.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I kind of thought that I was dead, too," Haruka assured the lieutenant, the stoic look never leaving her face for an instant.

"It doesn't make me feel better at all!" Mashiro yelled. "You're still here! I just don't get it! Why aren't you dead?!" And then the lieutenant was on the ground and flailing about like a fish out of water…as usual…

"I swear, I don't actually try to get her to do that," Haruka breathed, looking over to Kensei to signal that she was talking to him.

"She's an idiot," Kensei stated. "Don't pay her any attention."

"I try not to," Haruka agreed. "Thank you, by the way."

Kensei couldn't believe his ears.

"What was that?" he asked her, thinking that he had in fact heard her wrong.

"I said thank you, jackass. Captain Unohana said that you were the one that brought me to the Fourth Division after I passed out yesterday, and that you got me there in the nick of time," Haruka repeated. "So, thank you."

"Huh," Kensei muttered.

"What?"

"I never pictured you as the type to say 'thank you'."

"Why not? I may be a bit rough around the edges, but I am hardly ungrateful. I'm lucky to have most things, including my life at this point, and I realize that," Haruka mused. "So, again, thank you. I would be dead right now if it wasn't for you."

"Tch, don't mention it. I wouldn't be much of a captain if I let someone die on the turf of my division," Kensei scoffed, turning his head away from the woman. "Even if it is some dirty bandit."

"Well, just don't hold it over my head, brother."

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded. Kensei had finally noticed the way that Haruka was sitting: her legs were crossed in front of her, and she had just taken her Sai blades out and balanced them on her lap. He knew very well what she was doing, he just couldn't believe that she was dumb enough to try it again so soon.

"Going into Jinzen," Haruka told him, pointing out the fact that he already knew.

"You know, that might be too much of a strain for you right now. You're not exactly in top shape," Kensei incredulously pointed out.

"Maybe, but I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing all day," Haruka explained. "I'm here to train, so I'm **going** to train, brother. Besides, I would like to know what the hell happened to that Hollow."

"Tch, whatever," Kensei scoffed. "Don't expect me to carry to the Fourth Division this time."

"Whatever you say, Captain Muguruma," Haruka muttered, closing her eyes and focusing on blocking out her surroundings. She had questions for her zanpakutō, and she would be damned if she wasn't going to get them answered.

Kensei, on the other hand, was frozen in his place, staring at the bandit that was perched in a meditative position on the boulder. There something about the way she said his name earlier…He couldn't recall a time that she had actually called him Captain Muguruma, and when he thought about it, she had only called him Kensei once. It was usually 'brother' or 'jackass' or 'grumpy ass' or something else to that nature, and she usually had some underlying condescendence in her tone. This time was different, though. There were no harsh intentions in her tone when she called his name, and that caught him off guard; her voice held something else to it, something like gratitude and respect both meshed to one. He was also surprised by the fact that he wasn't bothered by her voice for once. Without a snarky tone to go with it, her voice was actually pleasant and not as gruff as he would have imagined a bandit's voice to be. But then again, she wasn't exactly a typical bandit, was she? She was unique, he would give her that, and he respected what she did for the people that inhabited her old village. Not that he would tell her that or anything…

* * *

** "Aw, aren't you two getting cozy?" Dokudosu cooed.**

** "What the hell are you talking about?" Haruka breathed.**

** "You know, you and the pissy captain out there," Dokudosu pointed out, suggestively wiggling her eyebrows in the process.**

** "You mean Kensei?" Haruka wondered.**

** "Aw, you're on a first name basis with him, too!" **

** "You're crazy, you know that?"**

** "Now why would you say that?"**

** "If you think that there's anything going on between me and the grumpy ass, you are definitely insane."**

** "Why am I crazy for thinking that? You think he's attractive, don't you?"**

** "Maybe…"**

** "Haruka..."**

** "Just because I think he's mildly attractive does not mean that we have a 'thing' going on."**

** "The fact that you're willing to look past his pissed off exterior tells me otherwise."**

** "He doesn't always look pissed off," Haruka pointed out, causing the zanpakutō spirit to tilt her head. **

** "Explain."**

** "I mean, when no one's looking at him, he doesn't scowl. He actually looks relaxed, which is a nice change. He doesn't do it often, though, only when he thinks that no one is watching him," Haruka explained, and the green-haired zanpakutō was quiet as she did so.**

** "But obviously you caught him in the act," Dokudosu pointed out.**

** "Obviously," Haruka agreed. Dokudosu kept her yellow eyes trained on Haruka for a moment, giving Haruka a look that honestly made her feel quite stupid.**

** "What?" Haruka demanded.**

** "You're hopeless," the zanpakutō breathed. "But, you're getting better."**

** "I'm getting better?" Haruka repeated. "What do you mean by that?"**

** "Nothing, just don't think about it for now," Dokudosu dismissed. "How are you feeling?"**

** "Like I almost bled to death," Haruka deadpanned. "It isn't very pleasant."**

** "I wouldn't imagine so," Dokudosu mused. "I suppose I'll give you a break then."**

** "Why thank you," Haruka told her. "I'm not sure I have much blood in me for you to drain out."**

** "We can always take a look, if you'd like," Dokudosu challenged her.**

** "I'm good," Haruka replied, holding her hands in front of her. "Maybe some other time."**

** "Fine," Dokudosu huffed. "I suppose you have questions."**

** "I have a lot of them, actually, but I doubt you want to answer all of them."**

** "How about I just give you an explanation of what I think you need to know right now?" Dokudosu offered. **

** "Sounds good to me," Haruka agreed. "But, I definitely want to know the meaning behind your name."**

** "The meaning behind my name," Dokudosu mused. "What do you think it means?"**

** "I'm not good with stuff like this," Haruka admitted.**

** "Fine," Dokudosu huffed. "Break it up. 'Dosu', poison, 'doku', slang for dagger."**

** "Part of your name is slang?"**

** "You're a bandit…What the hell else would you expect? I am a representation of you, initially, and the inner depths of your soul. So don't complain about the slang, 'cause it's your fault."**

** "So…poison dagger…or some shit like that."**

** "Yes, some shit like that. As long as you get the gist of it."**

** "Cool. Begin your explanation, then, please."**

** "What did see yesterday after you stabbed the Hollow?" Dokudosu asked her.**

** "You mean, what did I see the Hollow do?" Haruka replied, and the zanpakutō nodded her head in agreement. "Well, it started to scrape its face on the ground, like it was trying to get something off of it, and then it started to bash it's head harder and harder to the ground before it finally gave up and stabbed itself through the head with a tree."**

** "I see," Dokudosu muttered. "Well, it wasn't trying to get something off of it, more like…out of it."**

** "Out of it?"**

** "Mhm. When you called my name, your blades turned black, did they not?"**

** "They did."**

** "That black color comes from my blood."**

** "You're…blood?"**

** "Yes, my blood. And my blood is extremely poisonous, Haruka, in ways that you could never imagine."**

** "Meaning what, exactly?"**

** "My poison doesn't affect your enemies physically, but mentally. Within every drop of my blood there is a small piece of me, and whenever those pieces find a target and enter its blood stream, those small pieces of me enter its mind. Essentially, I don't take control of their minds, but I can manipulate what goes on in there."**

** "And what do you do in there?" That question caused a sinister grin to cross the zanpakutō's beautiful tan face. Haruka couldn't help but note how sharp the zanpakutō's teeth looked.**

** "I told you, Haruka, I want to rip your enemies apart from the inside out. I make them slowly go insane, and with that Hollow, he wanted me out so bad, that when he couldn't physically force me out, he couldn't deal with the terror I was causing him, and you saw what he did after that," Dokudosu explained, with malice dripping from every word that left her mouth.**

** "Will it…affect everyone like that?" Haruka asked her.**

** "No," Dokudosu chirped. "The stronger the opponent, the more poison it takes for me to be able to affect them, meaning, with someone like a Shinigami, you would have to stab them several times to make them do what the Hollow did. Of course, as you get stronger, so will I, and my poison will become more potent, but, that's a story for another day."**

** "I see. So in my shikai, I am completely reliant on you," Haruka observed.**

** "Correct," Dokudosu agreed. "It's strange, isn't it? Finally having to depend on someone other than yourself. Wouldn't you like to take the reins, though?"**

** "Can I?" Haruka wondered.**

** "One day, long from now, I will show you how," Dokudosu assured her. "But not today. Our time is running short."**

** "Is it? It doesn't feel like it's been that long," Haruka pondered.**

** "That's how it goes, sometimes," Dokudosu stated. "But, we'll have plenty of time tomorrow."**

** "I suppose…But, before I go…You said that all of the people who hurt and wrong me…You said that you hate them," Haruka started.**

** "I do," Dokudosu confirmed. "With every fiber of my being."**

** "Please, don't," Haruka requested, shocking her zanpakutō.**

** "Why not?" Dokudosu demanded.**

** "For the same reason that I don't hate them: If you hate them, then that hate will consume you, and it will twist you into something that you never wanted to be. It's what happened to Kenshin's father, and I don't want to see that happen to you or me. Let them talk all they want, let them try to hurt me if they dare, but don't hate them. Pity them, because there are the ones that will become the monsters, and I refuse to let them turn me into one, too."**

** "Damn…That's deep."**

** "And true."**

** "Haruka, I can't promise you anything, but if it will give you peace, then I will try."**

** "Thank you. That's all I ask."**

** A small, almost shy smile crept over Dokudosu's face as she and the purple sky and open fields that surrounded her all faded from Haruka's vision…**

* * *

It was time to call it a day, and Haruka was still in Jinzen. Kensei had been sitting across from her for quite some time now, waiting for her to come back to the real world. They were the only two left at the training fields, and with no one else around, he didn't have much to occupy his time with. There was only so much entertainment that someone could get from fiddling with a random pebble, so after a while, his eyes began to wonder, falling on the silent bandit across from.

He wouldn't admit it to her or anyone else, but he actually thought that she didn't look half bad, especially in the face. Her features were well defined, but also soft at the same time. Dead-Eye was quite an appropriate name for her; her eyes were expressionless just like the rest of her face was most of the time, but he had caught her trying to fight off a smirk a time or two. But even though they were blank half of the time, he still noticed certain things about her eyes. They were big, comparatively speaking, but not too big; she didn't look like a bug or anything, and her eyelashes were extremely thick and dark, which only helped to make her eyes look even bigger. He also didn't mind the color of her eyes, which was something that very few people could truthfully admit. Everyone else saw something predator-like in them, but he didn't see that at all; he saw something much more innocent, something that was full of the pure confidence that only an honest leader could have. Maybe it was the way that she carried herself that also gave him that impression; she always stood tall and sat up straight, giving her a sort of proud look that also held some diligence to it. The look in her eyes and the way that she carried herself gave everyone around her the impression that she was not someone you could bullshit with. She looked intimidating, and he figured that was what she had been going for; living with bandits couldn't have been easy, and she probably had to look that way just to get by with them.

Yes, he realized that he was staring at her for way too long, but what did it matter? It's not like anyone else was around to catch him doing it…

"Can I help you?"

How the hell did he not notice her eyes opening? Her bright yellow orbs were trained on him, and it was obvious that she had caught him staring at her. Well, if things weren't awkward before…

"I-uh-you finally done?" he stuttered, trying to save himself from further embarrassment.

"Yeah," Haruka agreed.

_"I told you so,"_ Dokudosu snickered.

"Shut the fuck up," Haruka countered, obviously not saying it out loud because that would have been, well, even more awkward.

The last thing that Haruka expected to see when she came out of Jinzen was Kensei, one of the grumpiest and most pissed off people that she had ever had the pleasure of meeting, staring at her. Sure, she had caught quite a few people staring at her before, but their eyes had been focused a little lower than her face. He, however, was staring straight at her face, although he was so spaced out that he didn't seem to notice when she came back to her senses. She hadn't exactly tried to divert his attention, either. She had stared right back for a few minutes, just trying to figure out what the hell he was doing, but that wasn't her focus for very long. Haruka had caught Kensei in one of the rare moments when he was relaxed, where there wasn't an ounce of tension in his body, when his jaw muscles weren't so tight that they looked like they were about to snap at any moment and his eyes weren't scrunched up in obvious annoyance and anger.

_"Do you like what you see there, Haruka?"_ That comment from her zanpakutō was enough to snap Haruka out of her mild trance and it also gave her the motivation to force Kensei out of his. After one last thought telling her zanpakutō that she could go fuck herself (which was only met with a loud giggle…), Haruka finally muttered a question that broke her 'captain' out of his thoughts, and of course, it came out way more snarky than she had intended it to. He didn't seem to notice, though. And she also didn't seem to notice the way that he stuttered in his reply. It was a compromise of sorts, if you will.

"Time sure flies in there," Haruka commented, putting her Sai blades back across her lower back.

"What?" Kensei asked her, still trying to put his mind back in order.

"In Jinzen; time goes by really fast in there," Haruka elaborated.

"I suppose," Kensei muttered.

"You didn't have to wait on me, you know," Haruka pointed out.

"Obviously, but I am a captain, and this is my division, so I couldn't just leave some newbie by herself while she was doing something potentially dangerous."

"Right. Anyways, I'm gonna head to Fourth Division and check in with Captain Unohana. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow, Captain Muguruma."

"She said it again," Kensei thought, but that was all that she said. As soon as the sentence came out of her mouth, Haruka Shunpo'd out of the Ninth Division as fast as her wounds would let her. Shit was just getting way too awkward in there for her…And her damn zanpakutō was not helping AT ALL.

_**Author's Note: Ladies and gentlemen, I am in fact not dead, as you can tell. You have my sincerest apologies for taking so long to put this out, but I finally got it to you. But you know, some reviews could quite possibly motivate me to put the next chapter out sooner…Just sayin'…**_

_**Anywho, this was kind of a filler chapter, but it answered a few questions that I saw pop up in the reviews. And just to note, Kensei and Haruka's relationship will be a slow build. Obviously, they weren't too fond of each other in the beginning, but they're getting there. Their relationship will be specifically focused on their respect for each other, and respect is obviously hard to earn, especially with these two, but their respect will also lead to their trust in one another (hehe, I made a reference to the title…), which will lead to other things, obviously. **_

_**And thank you to Harlz96, RACapri, Shadowmere, Luna loves u, Praetorianwarrior, and DeadlyVampire-DayDream Corp for all of the loves!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note: So technically, this isn't a new chapter, and it's just a re-post of chapter eight, but you should still read it, because I added some things. I finally got to a point in my life to where I could finally get back to my stories, and after revising this one, I realized that something just felt like it was missing from this chapter. So, I went back and added a few things. It didn't seem like I added much at first, but then I realized that the length of the chapter doubled from what it was, so, yeah. **_

_**And don't worry, I'm working on chapter nine and it should be out soon, hopefully by the end of the week. **_

_**Also, as a warning, there is mention of a near rape towards the end of the chapter, but I emphasize the word NEAR here. **_

Chapter Eight-Well, If That Isn't A Blast From The Past…

Time just flies by when you're having fun, doesn't it? And while Haruka wouldn't exactly say that the last ten years had flown by, they had gone by pretty fast. She had been in the Gotei 13 for ten years now, and while most things had changed, some things hadn't. Some people had warmed up to Haruka, but there were still plenty of people that despised her, namely Ginrei Kuchiki and Kirio Hikifune. Besides them, Haruka had actually grown to like the majority of the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13, even though a few of them still didn't trust her.

Shunsui was always cheery with her, although she suspected it was because he still felt bad for making her pass out all of those years ago, but she wasn't one to turn down good company, especially when that company offered her free drinks; it had become one of her favorite hobbies to drink Shunsui under the table. Besides Shunsui, Haruka also liked to hang around Shinji and he liked to hang around her, as well, probably because Hiyori never hit him when Haruka was around, for some odd reason that Haruka had yet to discover. Lisa was probably Haruka's closest friend, mainly due to the fact that they were so similar to each other; with the same sarcastic sense of humor, it's no wonder the two hit it off so well. Mashiro still hated Haruka, but Haruka didn't exactly have high hopes that that would ever change. Kensei was still grumpy as hell, but Haruka thought that he was a pretty solid guy beyond that. They argued a lot during her first few months in the Gotei 13, but after the Hollow attack that had nearly killed Haruka, they became much more civil with each other, and had even managed to have a few deep, personal conversations which led to the two having a much greater understanding for each other.

Beyond making a few friends, Haruka hadn't done too much else. She had practiced using her shikai quite a bit, but it was still too early for her to even think about learning her bankai. She had actually turned out to be a pretty decent Shinigami, even if the odds had been stacked against her. She actually gained quite a bit of enjoyment from killing Hollows, and Dokudosu seemed to reciprocate that enjoyment. 'There's nothing like messing with the mind of a creature that's already twisted beyond belief', was Dokudosu's explanation as to why she enjoyed killing Hollows; Haruka's explanation was nowhere near that artful. Personally, Haruka just liked the way they dissipated when they died.

* * *

Haruka felt like she had just been kicked in the throat. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, she couldn't think, hell, she could hardly see straight. She didn't feel this way out of fear, joy, or shock (well, maybe a little bit of shock); no, she felt that way because she was positively livid. She had never really understood the phrase 'seeing red' properly until now; in that particular moment, she was quite familiar with the expression, because even though there was not a single ounce of red physically in her line of vision, she was imagining it everywhere in the form of the life-giving essence that flows through all of us: blood. Whose blood was she picturing everywhere? Well, it sure as hell wasn't her own, that's for damn sure.

She had just been walking around, minding her own damn business, when a group of Shinigami rushed by her, and they had been bustling about some new recruit in the Fifth Division. In all honesty, she gave less than two shits about any new recruit, and she had no inclination whatsoever to go and see who this recruit was for herself, but that option was taken away from her swiftly. No, she did not actually go and find the new recruit just for the hell of it; no, he came and found her, in fact. He didn't actually come and find her, but he did pass through the general vicinity that she was in to look for his captain, and of course she couldn't help but notice him, especially with the group of Shinigami, all from various divisions, following him like he was the Soul King or something.

She didn't see him right off the bat. The first thing that alerted her to his presence was the sound of females squealing and practically swooning. That let her know that there was a new pretty boy in the divisions, which yet again she did not give a flying fuck about. She couldn't quite catch his name from all of their squealing, but with phrases like 'Fifth Division is so lucky!' and 'I want to transfer to Fifth Division!' being cried out by the banshees (which honestly made Haruka want to gag and strangle them all in the process), it wasn't too hard to figure out that they were following the Fifth Division's new officer. Again, it was nearly impossible for Haruka to care less.

She fully intended to just stroll on by without so much as gracing the new recruit with a glance, but then she noticed something. It was a smell, one that she hadn't smelled in what seemed like ages, one that pained her to her very core. It was a strong smell, and while most women probably would have found it appealing, Haruka did not. There were no words that could describe it, except for spicy, maybe. It wasn't quite cinnamon, but it was something along those lines. It burned Haruka's nose and gave her an instant headache, and it also put her in one hell of a mood. She couldn't really figure out why at first, but then she caught something else: she heard a name. And once she heard that name, she could not physically stop herself from looking over at the crowd.

And that's when she saw him. That's when she saw red. That's when she felt like someone had dropkicked her right in the throat, gotten back up, and done it a few more times. She was so pissed off that she was shaking. The only coherent thoughts that she could form were the ones that involved all the ways that she could have killed him right then and there, right in front of everybody. All she could feel was anger; all she could focus on was that son of bitch that was standing right before her, who didn't even notice her as he flirted with some random female Shinigami. He, who looked like he didn't have a single care in the world, hadn't changed a bit since the last time she saw him, and that had been years ago. And even after all those years she still wanted to scratch his eyes out and beat him to a bloody pulp. She had never wanted to kill someone so badly before, and that desire to kill, that hatred, blinded her to everything else that was going on her around.

She couldn't feel the warm liquid pouring out of her palms, she couldn't feel something breaking in her mouth, and she hardly felt it when someone grabbed her by the waist and dragged her away from the scene. She didn't fight back, she didn't kick at the person carrying her, she didn't scream: she just kept her murderous gaze focused on that new fucking recruit, who still hadn't even noticed her. The strong arms that were wrapped around her waist kept their hold tightly on her as they dragged her back towards her own designated division, but she paid them no mind. Even when she couldn't see the bastard anymore, she still kept her gaze in the direction that he was in, as if she was waiting for him to pop back up at any moment. But he never did, and it wasn't until someone dropped her on her feet and practically screamed her name that she finally broke out her trance.

Of all the people in the Gotei 13, Kensei was the one that dragged her away from it all. She expected him to look angry, to be pissed that she had lost her composure and that he had to drag her away from the scene before she murdered someone in cold blood. But he wasn't. He was…worried, and that in turn worried Haruka. What the hell did he have to be worried about?

"What the hell was that?" he demanded, without a hint of anger in his tone, but it was still as stern as it could be given the circumstances.

"It was nothing," Haruka mumbled, tearing her eyes away from his. She couldn't bear to look at him right now; there were so many thoughts going through her head right now, all of them murderous, and she was in a far from pleasant mood. He was an asshole, but Kensei didn't deserve to feel the brunt of that anger and hatred, plus Haruka couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt when she saw that concerned look he had.

"It wasn't 'nothing'!" Kensei shouted, not believing her for a minute. "Look at your damn hands, Haruka! Are you telling me that that is nothing?!"

Haruka thought he was crazy for a moment, until she actually looked down at her hands. Then she understood what he meant; it certainly was not 'nothing'. Her hands were covered in blood, her blood, obviously. When she looked closer at her palms, she noticed four crescent-shaped wounds on each of them: she had literally stood there and clenched her fists so hard that her nails cut into her skin and caused her to bleed. And she hadn't even noticed until now. And as soon as she noticed the dull throb of pain that spread across her palms, she also became aware of the pain in her mouth. After feeling around for a moment with her tongue, she found the culprit of her pain and reached into her mouth to pull it out. It seemed that she had been grinding her teeth in her anger, and she hadn't noticed that she had been grinding them so hard that one of her molars chipped.

"Guess it wasn't nothing," Haruka muttered, staring down at the small chip of bone that she had in her bloody hands. She just fiddled with it until she felt Kensei grab her by both arms and jerk her until she looked up at him. Damn, he looked even more worried now…

"What the hell happened, Haruka?" he asked her again, and for once in her life, Haruka was at a loss for words. Hell, she was at a loss for breath, too, because she sure as hell wasn't breathing. All that anger, all that hate, was slowly turning into panic and shock. Her eyes just kept getting wider and wider as the realization of what just happened hit her: she was fucked. She couldn't breathe anymore, and she was shaking like a leaf. She couldn't feel her legs, and she would have fallen if Kensei hadn't been holding her. For Haruka, everything just went to hell in a hand basket real fast…

"Hey, Kensei! If looks could kill, your bandit would have killed the whole Gotei 13 just now!"

Shinji had had the unfortunate pleasure to witness the whole scene, and just thinking about it sent chills down his spine. He had never seen a woman look as pissed as Haruka had, and he felt bad for whoever she was angry with. Part of him figured it was Kensei that she was mad at, but another part of him knew that that wasn't true. Kensei would never have been dumb enough to piss Haruka off that much. And with him ruled out, there was only one other option: she had to have been mad at the man that she was glaring at, Shinji's new recruit. But as far as Shinji knew, his new recruit had no connections to anyone that was currently in the Gotei 13, and while she was a bit of an estranged member, Haruka still fell into that category. He had intended to find Kensei and ask him what the hell was wrong with the bandit, but he didn't expect the said bandit in question to actually be with Kensei. To be more specific, Kensei was holding her by both arms, slightly lifting her off of the ground in the process. And as for Haruka…Shinji was yet again scared by the look that was on her face, but it wasn't a murderous glare that she held this time. No, this time she was confused, stunned, and scared, and those were things that Shinji knew damn well should never have crossed the bandit's face.

"Is she…is she alright?" Shinji asked his fellow captain, although he had a feeling that Kensei wasn't too sure of the answer to that question.

"Haruka, what the hell happened?" Kensei asked her yet again, but his voice was calmer and more even this time, and he spoke slower just to make sure that she understood him.

"I…I," Haruka stuttered. It was like she was going into mental shock or something. She couldn't even begin to try to form a coherent reply to the two captains. She was vulnerable, which is something that did not happen very often to the bandit; it had happened once before, on the day that changed her life forever back when she was a child, before she even thought about becoming a bandit. It had happened one other time after that, but she couldn't find it in herself to recall that memory just yet.

"Was it my new recruit?" Shinji prodded. Her lack of reply and the way her eyes widened even more was enough of an answer for them. At this point, Kensei's anger was beginning to seep back into him. Who the hell was that bastard and what the hell did he do to Haruka, one of the toughest and most stubborn women that he knew, to turn her into the wreck that he was holding? He got even more pissed when he noticed how badly she was shaking.

"Haruka, how do you know him?" Shinji asked her.

"What the hell did he do to you?" Kensei added.

"I…don't," Haruka tried, but she couldn't get anything else out.

"Damn it, Haruka, breathe! Breathe and tell us what the hell is wrong!" Kensei coaxed her, although he didn't do it very gently, but at least he had good intentions. And Haruka did breathe; she took in one deep breath and told them what they needed to know.

"Don't…tell anyone about this," Haruka muttered, her voice still sounding choked and weak.

"What?" Shinji knew he had heard her right, he just couldn't believe that that was all she was going to say about it.

"Don't say anything to anyone about this. Keep it to yourselves. No one can know, especially him or anyone he associates with. This stays between us," Haruka elaborated, finally able to catch her breath. The shocked look on her face finally began to fade back to her usual blank stare.

"What do you mean, 'don't tell anyone'? You expect us to just drop it after seeing you turn into a mess over some random recruit?" Kensei demanded.

"Please," Haruka begged, and though it was hard to tell, she really was begging them. Even when he heard the pleading tone in her voice, Kensei was still going to try to argue with her about it, but once he saw the look in her yellow eyes…he couldn't say a damn thing. It was a pitiful sight, but he couldn't deny her request. She must have had her reasons for not wanting anyone to know about what happened, and they better have been damn good ones. He turned his back to her and started to walk away, but before he left, he said one more thing.

"Do not make me have to kill some random punk, Haruka," Kensei seethed, annunciating each word as if it were its own new sentence just to make sure that she heard each and every one of them. He wasn't threatening her, but he was warning her. He was warning her that if something like this ever happened again he was going to kill the new recruit himself and save her the trouble.

* * *

_"Haruka."_

"Not now, Dokudosu."

Haruka had gone straight to her room once Kensei left her and Shinji. The Fifth Division Captain merely muttered an apology before he left himself, and Haruka wasted no time in making her own departure once she was alone. She could only hope that the two captains would keep their word and not mention what had happened to anyone. She could only hope that he never found out how she had reacted to seeing him. She could only hope that he never found out that she was even in the Gotei 13.

_"Haruka,"_ Dokudosu repeated, not relenting in her quest to make Haruka talk about it.

_"Who was he?" _ Dokudosu asked her. Haruka didn't say anything for a moment as she tightened the hold that she had on her legs and buried her head further into her knees. She got a bitter taste in her mouth just thinking about saying his name. All these years…he should have been dead. He should have been dead...so why the fuck wasn't he? He should have just been memory to her now, but hell, she should have figured that he'd show up again to try to make her life hell incarnate once more.

Monsters are funny like that, though. They never seem to die when you want them to…

"Zaku."

* * *

_ Typically, Haruka and her bandits only attacked noble caravans that came somewhat close to their village. They never went out and attacked a noble estate; there were just too many details that went along with a job like that. Were there any guards at the estate? If there were, how many were there? How big was the estate and how much ground would they have to cover? How many people lived there? Was the estate anywhere close to another estate that could send help while the bandits were still there? There were just too many details to consider, and it was just too risky, so they didn't do it. _

_ She had made an exception on this occasion, however. Minato, her faithful scout and spymaster, had stumbled upon some bloodied refugees while he was out scouting a caravan. He brought the refugees back to Haruka, and they ended up giving her some startling news. As it turned out they were peasants from a nearby town, if you could even call it that. There wasn't much to it, really; it consisted of a few houses inhabited by a few small families. That wasn't an unusual thing in those parts of Rukongai, and the fact that everyone in that small town had been slaughtered except for those few refugees also wasn't very surprising. That was just the way things were out there; people died every day, and sometimes entire towns or villages were wiped out in the blink of an eye. Haruka was used to hearing about things like these, and most of the time, there wasn't much that she could do except try to take care of anyone that survived the slaughters. This time was different from the rest, though, because of who was doing the killing. _

_ Apparently, the people that had destroyed this small town had also destroyed many others, large and small. They went through and slaughtered everyone in their path, men, women, and children, and they burned everything as they went. They took no supplies from these towns; they just destroyed them for shits and giggles, it seemed, and that just didn't settle right with Haruka. What made it worse was that these people were mercenaries that had been hired on by a nearby noble estate. Obviously, something fishy was going on, and Haruka was determined to get to the bottom of it._

_ She sent Minato and a few other spies out to gain information on this noble estate, but oddly enough, there was none to be found. No one knew who ran the estate, and they also weren't familiar with the mercenaries that were hired by it. It seemed that anyone who knew anything about the estate had already been killed by the mercenaries, and that set so many alarms off in Haruka's mind that she was sure that everyone around her could hear them. She could smell a conspiracy in the air, and that smell only got worse when Minato told Haruka just how many towns had been destroyed on account of this estate. _

_ Twenty-three towns. Twenty-fucking-three. If those towns had about ten people on average in them, then that would make for two hundred and thirty people. Two hundred and fucking thirty. Two hundred and fucking thirty men, women, and children. Where the fuck was the Gotei 13? Was that not a big enough number to make them get off of their asses and see just what the hell was going on? Apparently it wasn't, but it was enough to motivate Haruka to do something. _

_ She knew that Rukongai was not a gentle place to live in; sometimes people had to kill in order to survive, and sometimes people just killed for the sake of killing. Needless slaughter on this level, though…Haruka just couldn't turn away from it. Who knows how many more towns would be wiped out if nobody stopped this estate? Hell, who could say that they wouldn't end up attacking Haruka's village one day? At this point they wouldn't have been too much of a threat to Haruka's village, but there was no guarantee that they wouldn't grow through the years and eventually gain enough manpower to do some damage to her village. She knew that that wasn't very likely to occur, but she wasn't going to take that chance. She was going to end this estate before another innocent died at its hands. _

_ They attacked in the night. They were going to do this quietly and efficiently with as few people as possible. It was just Haruka and her main men, Kenshin, Minato, Toshiie, Kyuzo, and Hiyate. It would only be the six of them against thirty to forty mercenaries plus whoever ran the estate, but if they were smart enough, that should be enough. _

_ The estate was quiet when they reached it. Most of the windows were dark save for a few and there were only a few lanterns lit outside. It seemed like everyone in the estate had turned in for the night, except for the five mercenaries that were patrolling the grounds. They were dealt with quickly; Minato kept a lookout as Haruka and the rest of her men spread out and took out one of the five mercenaries each, creeping up behind them as silently as shadows in the dark night around them and slicing the mercenaries' throats before they could even register what was happening. _

_ So far things had gone well; not a soul in the estate knew that the bandits were there, and that would be their greatest advantage over the mercenaries. Once the bodies of the guards were hidden in the forest around the estate, Haruka and her men readied themselves to enter the place. It was likely that there was another guard at the front door, so instead they were going to get in through a window. They chose to go through a window at the back of the building; Kenshin had quietly opened the window and scouted the room out, alerting Haruka that there was only one person inside that particular room. Haruka decided to go in first. The only inhabitant of the room was a single mercenary, passed out with his head against a desk. Haruka was silent as she climbed through the window, and as soon as her feet hit the floor she was by the mercenary. Without a second thought she took one of her Sai blades and punctured the sleeping man's skull with it, killing him instantly. The rest of her men soon climbed into the room._

_ No words were spoken between the bandits as they made their way into the hallway. There had been a mercenary walking down the hall towards them, but Toshiie had quickly thrown a knife at the man, and it pierced his throat right as he was opening his mouth to yell. Haruka cringed as the body fell lifelessly to the ground, and she could only hope that the noise hadn't been loud enough for any of the other mercenaries to hear it. _

_ They waited for a moment, but when it seemed that no one else was coming, they quickly separated and into groups of two and went to three more rooms. The one that Kyuzo and Hiyate went to was empty. Minato and Toshiie found three more sleeping mercenaries, which they quickly disposed of. Haruka and Kenshin hadn't been so lucky; the room they went to had four mercenaries in it, and they were without a doubt awake._

_ "Who the hell-"one of the mercenaries started to yell, but a knife to the forehead from Haruka cut him off. Haruka then ran at one of the other three mercenaries and knocked him to the ground, covering his mouth with her hand in the process, and stabbed him through the heart with one of her blades. Kenshin managed to cut the other two down before they could say a word. _

_ They cleared the rest of the rooms on the ground floor like that, two to each room, killing any mercenaries before they could alert the rest of the building to the bandits' presence. Most of the mercenaries had been asleep, but there were some that were still awake. Thankfully, none of them had put up too much of a fight against the bandits, so Haruka and her men still had the element of surprise on their side._

_ The second floor, however, did not go so well. A mercenary had been coming down the stairs as soon as the bandits went to them, and Haruka and her men had been unable to kill him before he screamed that the estate was under attack. Kyuzo had been the one that was finally able to make it up the stairs, and he cut the mercenaries head clean off causing it to roll down the stairs and land right at Haruka's feet. Kyuzo's kill came too little too late, though, and the rest of the building had now been alerted to the presence of the bandits. Haruka only hoped that they had killed enough of the mercenaries so they wouldn't be overwhelmed by the numbers of the rest of them._

_ Again, they split into groups of two, each group going down a different hallway in an attempt to confuse the enemy and separate their numbers. It didn't look like too many of them were left, but Haruka refused to take any chances. She and Kenshin went down the hallway that she guessed led to the head of the estate's room. The hallway was bigger than the rest, and it had a number of ornate decorations and paintings lining it, so she assumed that her guess had been right. The only thing that made her second guess herself was that there weren't any mercenaries guarding the hallway, but there were enough of them following her and Kenshin to make her push that worry aside. She tried to take some of them down with throwing knives, but only two fell before the rest caught on and started to deflect her airborne blades. _

_ "I think we can take the rest of them on," Kenshin told her, unsheathing his katana and halting his run._

_ "Probably," Haruka agreed, stopping beside him and pulling out her Sai blades. The first mercenary that went down was a dumbass; he decided that it would be a good idea to separate from the group and attack the bandits alone, and he only realized his mistake once it was too late. Haruka had quickly leapt up and grabbed onto the banister above her, and used the leverage to wrap her thighs around the bandits head as he reached her. Dying between a woman's thighs wasn't the worst of ways to go, but he still died as Haruka used her legs to snap his neck. _

_ The rest of the mercenaries charged as soon as Haruka landed back on the floor, and she and Kenshin worked in unison as they cut them down. There were more of them than Haruka had thought, but that did not deter her or Kenshin as they severed arteries, broke necks, and even decapitated the mercenaries that charged at them. They of course kept count of the enemies that they cut down, and much to Kenshin's disdain, Haruka always stayed about two or three kills ahead of him. A thought suddenly came to Kenshin, though, one that Haruka had surprisingly no had yet. _

_ "Haruka! The one who's running this shit is probably escaping!" Kenshin called to her, and Haruka felt like hitting her head against the wall. Why the hell hadn't she thought of that, especially before Kenshin had? _

_ "Fuck," she hissed._

_ "I can take the rest of these assholes! Go on ahead and track that bastard down!" Kenshin shouted, slicing through yet another mercenary. Usually, Haruka would have refused to leave one of her men, but she knew that she couldn't let the leader escape, so with a nod of her head, she turned her back to Kenshin and ran down the rest of the hallway. There were no other hallways that branched off of the one she was running down, but it did take several turns, so by the time she reached the end of it, she was pretty far away from Kenshin. _

_ The door at the end of the hallway was open, and she could see the bastard getting ready to climb out of his window. He was dressed far to expensively to be another mercenary, but the blade at his side let Haruka know that he was no stranger to battle. He heard her as she ran towards his room, and right as he was getting ready to jump out of the window, he looked back to see just who his attacker was. When he caught her in his gaze, his eyes held no recognition for the bandit, and his expression showed that he thought that she was not worth his time. So, with a scoff, the man jumped out the window and out of Haruka's sight. _

_ Haruka stopped dead in her tracks. He may not have realized who she was, but she knew exactly who he was. The messy brown hair, those cold hazel eyes…there was no mistaking it. After all these years, her brother was still alive…And he was ordering the deaths of countless innocent people…Though she was still a bit stunned, Haruka was not going to let him escape. She ran into the room, fully intent on jumping out of the window to chase her brother down, but as soon as she passed the door, she received a hard blow to the back of the head._

_ It didn't knock her out, but the blow was enough to knock her to the ground and disorient her. Her vision momentarily went black, and all she could hear was ringing. She felt someone rip her Sai blades away from her, but she was far too dazed to stop them. Her attacker took advantage of her state, and before she knew it she was being lifted up and thrown to the ground again. Her head hit the floor hard, which only served to further disorient her. The punch she received across the face didn't help, either. _

_ "Well, well, look what we have here," she heard a deep voice mutter. Her vision was still black, but she clearly felt a large hand run its way down the right side of her body. Whoever was pinning her down made sure to give her breast a rough and painful squeeze before he punched her across the face again. _

_ "What a disgusting fucking prick," Haruka seethed to herself. Her vision was slowly starting to come back to her, and she was starting to faintly see the face of the mercenary that was above her. To say that he was atrocious would be an understatement. Dread washed over her as she felt him settle himself between her legs._

_ "Let's see just what you're hiding here," the mercenary said with a malicious smirk on his face, and Haruka could barely comprehend what was happening as he ripped the mesh that held the front of her bodysuit together and pulled the rest of her suit's torso to the sides, exposing her breasts to him. The sudden rush of cold air across her chest was enough to bring Haruka back to reality, and she thrashed with all her might to free her hands from the mercenary. He was strong though, and the grip that his hand had on both of wrists didn't falter. Haruka was in sheer panic mode as she looked around her for something that might help, but the only that she noticed was a dagger that the mercenary had strapped to his thigh. But that would be enough. _

_ "This'll be fun," the mercenary chuckled, reaching down and tearing at the waist of Haruka's bodysuit. The suit was already open at her hips, so it wasn't hard for him to get the material to start ripping. Haruka refused to let him get any further, though, and once the mercenary let his head fall close enough to her, Haruka stretched her neck out and bit down on his ear as hard as she could. At first he just yelled and didn't budge from his position, but one Haruka felt his ear start to tear from his head, the bandit finally let go of her arms to grab her by the back of the head. He was too late, however, and as his ear fully detached from his skull, Haruka used one of her newly freed hands to grab the dagger at his thigh. Before he could use the grip that he had on her hair to pull Haruka away, she slammed the dagger into the back of his skull, and she ripped it out and stabbed him again for good measure. _

_ The mercenary died instantly, and Haruka quickly pushed him off of her body and pulled her body suit back over her breasts. The mesh may have been torn to hell, but the rest was still enough to cover her, if only by a little. She also took the time to spit out the mercenary's ear, along with most of the blood that had made its way into her mouth. _

_ "Haruka!" Kenshin yelled as he ran into the room, only to be shocked at the sight of his bloodied leader. He looked between her and the body of the dead mercenary, and he was immediately able to figure out what had happened. _

_ "You fucking bastard!" he screamed, going over to the dead mercenary and stomping at his head. He continued stomping until the mercenary's skull caved in, and then he kept stomping some more. Haruka tried to calling his name to stop him, but Kenshin didn't stop until bits of brain matter and skull were scattered across the floor._

_ "Is this the leader?" Kenshin seethed as he finally quit his assault on the lifeless corpse. Haruka only shook her head in reply._

_ "Motherfucker!" he yelled. "I'm gonna rip that son of a bitch to pieces when I find him!"_

_ "He's gone, Kenshin. Let's just go," Haruka told him, attempting to finally get up from the floor. She stumbled a little bit and Kenshin quickly went to steady her, but Haruka held her hand up to stop him._

_ "Just let me," she muttered, taking a deep breath to regain her countenance._

_ "Did he," Kenshin started, but he was unable to finish his sentence._

_ "No, but almost," Haruka told him. There was no need to lie to the man._

_ "But not fully?" he asked her. She shook her head again. _

_The rest of her men didn't ask any questions once they all finally regrouped outside of the estate, but they could tell that something had happened. Haruka was thankful that they didn't say anything about it. She just wanted to pretend that this night never happened and forget about it. Zaku had escaped, but his mercenaries had been slaughtered. It would take time for him to recover after this attack, but Haruka hoped that he would meet his demise before then. He hadn't been the one that attacked her, but it had been his man, and she would be damned if she didn't blame him for it._

That was the second time in Haruka's life that she had really and truly been vulnerable, and she would be damned if she would ever let something like it happen again.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine-Stress and Awkwardness

_ "What are you going to do?"_

Well, wasn't that one hell of a question? What was she going to do? She had figured, or at least she had hoped with all of her might, that Zaku would have died a long time ago. Sadly, she hadn't been that lucky, and now she honestly had no clue what to do, because there he was, still alive and kicking, looking jolly as hell, trying to fit in with the Gotei 13 like he hadn't ordered the deaths of so many innocent people. She had hoped with every fiber of her being that she would never have to see him again, so that she would never have to be reminded of that time that had left her so bruised and haunted, but again, there he was. What a fucking bastard…Why couldn't he have just died and made things easy for her? It was like the whole damn universe was working against her or something, and Haruka was truly at a loss.

And then there was that bastard Kensei…She trusted that he wouldn't say anything about what had happened earlier that day, but why the hell did he have to go and look so concerned about her? She didn't understand it at all. Of course, she really didn't understood the man himself, either. She figured he'd just tell her to get the fuck over herself, but then he just had to go and act like he actually gave a damn about what she was going through. He had a lot of damn nerve, too, to go and threaten the person that was causing her so much grief. That spiky-haired prick needed to get his shit straight; they weren't friends, he did not care about her, and she sure as fuck did not care about him. That was something that confused her even more: she didn't care about the bastard, so why was she so afraid of what would happen to him if he stood against Zaku? It was a stupid fear, she knew that. Kensei was a damn captain, so nine times out of ten he could easily have taken Zaku down without breaking a sweat. Haruka had this feeling, though, one that she just couldn't shake; something was telling her, no, warning her, that Zaku had something up his sleeve, and she didn't have a clue as to what the hell it was. Just like she didn't have a clue as to why she actually gave a shit about what happened to Kensei…

She decided that this was too much shit for her to deal with. It wasn't like she didn't already have enough problems in her life, you know, like worrying about a slew of Shinigami trying to kill her for some sort of 'sketchy behavior'. Things weren't as tense as when she had first gotten there, but she would be damned if the Shinigami weren't still suspicious of her. She figured that that would probably never change, no matter how long she managed to stay in the Gotei 13. It was like they didn't have anything better to do other than harass her…

Haruka figured she was probably reading too deeply into this, or at least too deeply into everything that was causing her stress. For the most part, she had learned to just breath and let these things pass by her; she had gotten used to all of the threats and suspicious glares from her fellow Shinigami (and yes, they had finally broken down and said that she was a Shinigami…they all looked like someone had stolen their puppy when they finally had to acknowledge her as one of their own…assholes), and she had also learned to deal with Kensei and his conflicting attitudes towards her (until this most recent episode, that is). This Zaku situation, though, was on a whole new level of fucked up for her. Not only had her brother, the person who had tormented her as a child and also the person that had nearly caused her to get raped, shown up, but his presence also made the rest of her problems seem ten times worse. While some of the Shinigami were relatively civil with her, she figured that they still didn't trust her, so she couldn't count on them to have her back in case Zaku ever did try something. And then the whole Kensei thing…She had no clue what to do if Zaku tried to hurt him. She shouldn't have felt the urge to do anything, since she wasn't exactly supposed to like him, but obviously her emotions were not on the same level as her brain when it came to that subject.

Again, she was probably reading too deeply into the whole thing. At the estate all those years ago, when he looked back at her, Zaku obviously hadn't recognize her, which was logical considering they hadn't seen each other since they were children. While he looked relatively similar to the way he had back then, only a little bigger, Haruka looked completely different, and she hoped that would be enough for him to never realize that his younger sister was still alive, and in turn leave her the fuck alone. As for the Shinigami, they could get the fuck over themselves. She figured that more of them would warm up to her eventually, and maybe she would be able to call the ones that had already warmed up to her a little her friends in due time. And as for the whole Kensei thing…she would eventually figure that out. Eventually.

"_You are positively hopeless_," Dokudosu scoffed. Haruka hated how her zanpakutō could always read her thoughts. It was convenient when she was too lazy to actually try to converse with her zanpakutō, but in times like these, when she would have preferred it if her private thoughts stayed fucking PRIVATE, well…she didn't exactly appreciate the presence of her zanpakutō at these times.

"_I'm sure you'll learn to appreciate it someday_," said zanpakutō chuckled, relishing in Haruka's disgruntlement. One thing that she did not relish in, however, was how distressed Haruka was over the appearance of her brother. Being an extension of Haruka's being, Dokudosu knew the ex-bandit better than anyone, even better than Haruka knew herself, really, so Dokudosu knew just how unusual it was for the bandit to be this distressed over, well, anything really. Dokudosu hadn't lied when she told Haruka that she loved her, and that love caused Dokudosu to want nothing more than to tear Zaku apart from the inside out. If she ever got her poison into him, she would make him regret the day that he'd been born. She would play with his mind like a kitten played with a ball of yarn, and then that kitten would turn into a ferocious and bloodthirsty lion as she tore Zaku's sanity away from him and made him feel nothing but pain. She would make him lose himself and she would enjoy every second of it…

"That's some colorful imagery you've got goin' on there, bro," Haruka stated, knocking Dokudosu out of her revelry. At times like these, Dokudosu also did not appreciate how Haruka knew her every thought. It was annoying, and the ex-bandit tended to butt in whenever the zanpakutō was getting to the good part of letting her imagination run wild.

"You'll learn to appreciate it someday," Haruka mocked her, and with all of her being Dokudosu wanted to manifest herself outside of Haruka's inner world at that moment so she could slap the living hell out of the yellow-eyed banshee. She was going to be the bigger woman, though, so she decided to just let Haruka's comment slide.

"_So, what are you going to do?_" Dokudosu repeated, trying to change the subject.

"Probably nothing," Haruka huffed, shocking her zanpakutō.

"_Why nothing? We could easily poison and kill him_," the spirit pointed out. "_He's not even a ranked officer. He should be easy to take care of._"

"Because he's hiding something, Dokudosu, and I have a feeling that he's stronger than he appears to be," Haruka told her. "I doubt things will turn out well for us if we attack him now."

"_And what if you're just being paranoid and he's not hiding anything?_" her zanpakutō challenged.

"Dokudosu, he ordered the deaths of countless people. He is a cold-hearted bastard, and there is no doubt in my mind just how capable he is of killing. Mercenaries like the ones he hired don't just follow anyone, either. Money goes a long way, but you have to be strong for them to respect you and actually follow your orders and guard him like they did. Plus, that look he gave me all those years ago, like I wasn't worth the time of day to him…that's not a look you give to people if you're weak. Your skills actually have to be worth something in order for you to have that look," Haruka explained. The two were quiet for a moment.

"_You…might actually have a point_," Dokudosu finally relented.

"I know I do. We'll just have to keep an eye on him for now. Plus, I doubt he'll recognize me. Fuck, I really am overthinking this," the brunette breathed, running a hand through her short hair. "Hell, you're right, I'm probably just being paranoid. He's probably not hiding anything. Fuck, it probably isn't even him."

"_Okay, now that is bullshit_," the zanpakutō pointed out, and Haruka could have sworn she felt something like a slap against the back of her head.

"Alright, it's definitely him," Haruka admitted, "But even so, he could just be here to, you know, be here."

"_Just to be a Shinigami?_"

"Yeah, I mean, it's a free excuse to kill shit, even if it is only Hollows."

"_I don't know, Haruka. I think you're on to something_."

"Don't say that, Dokudosu, it just makes me more paranoid."

"_You're right, it would be foolish to attack him now. We need to observe him first, see if he is actually planning something and see if we can figure out just how strong he is._"

"So…you're agreeing with me?"

"_Just keep your damn eyes open, Haruka. Nothing may come of this, but be prepared just in case something does happen_."

"So, yes, you are agreeing with me."

"_Shut the fuck up and go to sleep._"

"I love you, Dokudosu."

"_Fuck you._"

* * *

The next day was just plainly fucking awkward. There was no other way that Haruka could have put it. She liked to think that it was Shinji's fault, since he had been the one to start all of the awkwardness off. She had just been minding her own business, walking to the Ninth Division all on her own to start her day of training. Practically no one else had been outside at that time, so for once Haruka's walk was something that she could have considered peaceful. It was quiet, no one was threatening at her, and nobody was staring at her; it was almost too good to be true.

And that was when she ran into Shinji. It turned out that her peaceful walk really was too good to be true. The blond-headed captain seemed to have popped up out of a nowhere, appearing in front of Haruka so instantly that she was almost startled, almost being the key word there. Truthfully, she had gotten used to people trying to sneak up on her like that; some of the Shinigami seemed to have made a game of trying to get her to change her expression, and startling her was one of their favorite ways to try to do it. Nobody had won that game yet. Haruka may have gotten startled the first few times they did it, but not once did she change her expression. She kept her small level of fright hidden, which made for some very heartbroken and defeated Shinigami. Sadly, they had yet to give up on their game. She wasn't going to let any of them win, though; they called her Dead-Eye for a reason, damn it.

She really doubted that Shinji was taking part in that game, though. He had tried it once a while back, but he hadn't tried again once he failed his first attempt. He had said that it was a pointless game because he doubted that Haruka had any control of her facial muscles anymore. As long as it kept him from participating in the little 'game' that the Shinigami had going on, Haruka wasn't going to argue with him on that point, even if it was a little absurd. Beyond all of that, he just plainly looked way too serious when he appeared in front of her to be playing any sort of game. He didn't say anything, though; he just sort of…looked at her weirdly. It was very weird, actually, and it kind of made Haruka a little uncomfortable.

"Captain Hirako," Haruka greeted, trying to start up a conversation with him so he would break the stare that he had on her. It didn't work. He still didn't say anything for quite a few moments, and he just kept giving Haruka that weird look. She couldn't even describe what that damn look was. It wasn't confused, or mad, or sad, or any damn thing. It was just plainly a fucking weird look, and Haruka did not like it one bit.

"Can I help you with something, brother?" Haruka asked him, and still nothing. Nope, she was not going to put up with this shit today. She was fully intent on marching away from the Fifth Division's captain, but as soon as she took one step, he finally spoke up.

"What the hell was that yesterday?" he finally blurted. Haruka stared at him mutely for a moment.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about that," she finally breathed.

"We agreed not to say anything about it to anyone else, but we didn't say anything about not talking about it to each other," he pointed out.

"I thought that was kind of a given, bro."

"It wasn't."

"Well, it is now. We won't talk about it to anyone else or to each other. Hell, we probably shouldn't even think about it just to make sure. Better yet, it didn't even happen. I have no idea what on earth you are talking about, bro."

"When a woman gives someone a glare like that, you can't just not talk about it," Shinji commented. "That was some scary shit, yeah? Where did ya learn that? Is that some kinda weird bandit technique?"

"Would you like to be at the receiving end of one of those glares, Captain Hirako?" Haruka asked him.

"Hell no."

"Then I suggest you forget about this conversation and the events that you referred to in it."

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were threatening me, Haruka."

"I don't know what you mean, bro. We just ran into each other. No conversation transpired between us until now."

"Haruka…"

"For fuck's sake, will you please drop it?"

"I can't just drop it, ya damn bandit. It involved someone in my division, so it involves me too, in a sense."

"In a very convoluted sense, bro. And how do you know it involved someone in your division? I never said who I was glaring at. I could have been glaring at…Shūnsui, for all you know."

"Really, Haruka? Shūnsui? Is that the best you could come up with?"

"I am not dealing with this shit. You're being weird. Leave me alone." And with that Haruka finally walked away from the captain.

"What a fucking weirdo," she thought to herself. Luckily for her, Shinji had taken the hint and didn't follow her. That was how her weird day started, and she'd be lying if she said it got any better once she finally reached the Ninth Division.

Her little bout with Shinji had caused Haruka to show up late for her training. Normally, Kensei would have been all over her case for that, but much to Haruka's surprise, he didn't say a word about it. In fact, he didn't say anything. Much like Shinji, he just stood there and gave her a look. And it was a very weird look at that; Haruka couldn't help but note that it was a lot like the look that Shinji had given her earlier, but there was something just a little different about it. If she wasn't mistaken, she could have sworn that there was a small hint of concern in there, and maybe, just maybe, a small touch of affection. She was probably imagining it, though. Surely she wasn't starting to grow on him…That would have just been weird.

"_Hopeless_," Dokudosu hissed.

"Fuck you," Haruka thought, letting her zanpakutō know exactly how she felt about her commentary. All Haruka got in reply was a lofty chuckle.

"Kensei," Haruka called, trying to get the captain's attention. He seemed to snap out of whatever revelry that he had been.

"You're late," he pointed out.

"You don't seem too mad about it," Haruka told him. He was quiet again.

"Besides," Haruka added, "It was Shinji's fault." Kensei cocked an eyebrow at that.

"He stopped me on the way here, stared at me like a fucking moron for like five minutes, and then tried to have one of the most pointless conversations known to man with me once I tried to leave," Haruka explained, pointedly leaving out what Shinji had actually tried to talk to her about. Again, she doubted that Kensei would try to bring it up, but just in case…

"And just why would he do that?" Kensei asked her.

"Hell if I know," she shrugged. "It was weird as fuck, though."

"Have you not gotten the impression that that's just the way he is sometimes?"

"I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. I see now that I shouldn't have tried to do that."

"No, you shouldn't have."

"Right," Haruka sighed. Why did he have to be acting so damn calmly? It was weird. He should be angry with her, yelling at her or Mashiro, or just something besides acting so calmly! Haruka knew that when something wasn't irritating him, Kensei was usually a pretty calm and collected individual. The guy had a short fuse though, so that calm and collected individual usually went right out the door whenever he was around her or Mashiro. She wasn't used to seeing him like this, and it was throwing Haruka way out of her comfort zone.

"Anyways," she finally breathed. "What exactly are we doing today?"

"What do you mean?" was Kensei's quick reply. Haruka could have smacked her head against a wall if there had been one anywhere near her.

"You know, training?" she prodded. Kensei stared at her for another moment. What was it with him and Shinji staring at her today?

"Are you sure you really need to be training today?" She was going to fucking kill them both; she resolved herself to it once that question came out of Kensei's mouth. She didn't know how she was going to manage to take down two captains, but she'd be damned if she wasn't going to try. Why did they refuse to let that shit go?!

"Of course I'm sure I need to train, bro," Haruka told him. She was so close, so damn close, to losing it at that point. So close…

"Are you sure? Because yesterday," he began. He just had to do it, didn't he? He just had to mention 'yesterday'. His sentence was cut off by a sharp sigh from Haruka. Said brunette looked like she had to physically stop herself from shaking for a moment. She looked away from him and took a deep breath. Oh, she was trying so damn hard not to do anything she'd regret. But she would be damned if they weren't making it hard for her…

"Kensei, bro, you cannot possibly understand how little I care about 'yesterday'," she told him, and although her facial expression hadn't changed, the change in her tone of voice was enough to indicate that the former bandit was more than a little pissed off. He started to say something else, but she quickly cut him off.

"Seriously, you tell me: does this face look like it gives a fuck about yesterday?" Haruka asked him, emphasizing each word for effect. Again, she cut him off before he could say anything else.

"Let me just answer that for you. No, this face does not give a fuck about yesterday, not a single fuck at all. As far as it's concerned, brother, yesterday did not happen, and it also gives no flying fucks if anyone tries to say otherwise," Haruka told him. "So, Captain Muguruma, what are we going to do today for training?"

Kensei just looked at the yellow-eyed woman silently for a moment. Well, alright then. If she wanted to pretend like it didn't happen, then fine, they would all pretend like it didn't happen. Fuck him for trying to be concerned about her, ungrateful bitch. He just couldn't bring himself to be mad at her for it, though. Hell, he was going to go one step further than just pretending like yesterday never happened: he was going to pretend like those whole damn conversation hadn't happened, as well.

"Fight me," he demanded, and his request took Haruka by surprise, even though her face didn't show it. She could have sworn that 'fight' hadn't been the word that came out of his mouth. No, instead she could have sworn that he'd said some other verb that started with the letter 'f', which was a verb that she had no interest doing with him, no damn interest whatsoever, never in a million years, not even if someone threatened to kill her if she didn't partake in it with him. Never. She couldn't even understand why she had thought of him in the same context as that word. She was just so far beyond not being attracted to him that is was almost laugh worthy for her to even try to fathom him in the context of that word.

"_At least that's what you tell yourself_," Dokudosu sighed.

"And just what the hell does that mean?" Haruka thought to the green-haired zanpakutō.

"_Nothing, nothing at all. You're just hopeless_," Dokudosu told her.

"Quit saying that!" Haruka mentally grumbled. "Or at least tell me what the hell you actually mean when you say it!"

"_Nope, I'm just going to let you figure that one out on your own,_" the zanpakutō chuckled. "_Although, the chances of that actually happening look to be very slim._"

"Haruka," Kensei called, pulling Haruka away from yet another pending argument with her zanpakutō. The damn spirit really just needed to get off her back…

"Well?" Kensei asked her, and for the life of her, Haruka could not remember what they had been talking about. Personally, she blamed Dokudosu for it, but she couldn't exactly tell Kensei that.

"What?" was her simple reply, and this time, it was Kensei that looked like he wanted to hit his head against a wall.

"Are you going to fight me?" he repeated. Haruka quirked an eyebrow at him. He was shocked because he had just bared witness to one of the miraculous moments that she actually used one of her facial muscles. This day really was turning out to be weird.

"Oh, yeah, training," Haruka finally remembered. "Well, if that's how you want to go about it, then sure, let's fight."

"No weapons, just hand-to-hand combat," he added.

"That's fine with me," Haruka agreed. "Can I ask what brought this on?"

"It just seems like it's time," he told her. It wasn't much of an answer, but Haruka accepted it. She appreciated it, really. The whole thought of him fighting her just made it seem like he was going to stop tiptoeing around what happened yesterday. She appreciated that he wasn't going to coddle her, although Kensei hardly seemed like the coddling type, so it really shouldn't have surprised her as much as it did. Regardless, a good ole fist fight sounded pretty good to her at that moment.

Haruka would give Kensei one thing: the fucker could fight. It was obvious that he was taking it pretty easy on her at first, only throwing some basic punches and kicks her way, but after she dodged those with ease and gave him a look that practically screamed 'really, bro?', he decided to kick things up a notch. Haruka had honestly not been expecting him to start using Shunpo so early on in the fight, but obviously he had gotten the message from the look that she'd sent his way and figured out that she wasn't going to put up with any of that slow ass beginner type sparring. It had almost cost her, though, and she narrowly dodged an elbow to the head. The poor boulder that he hit instead shattered to thousands of small pebbles on impact, and Haruka felt her eye twitch a little. Her day would have gone from shitty to worse if he'd actually hit her; hell, her day would have ended if she had taken that elbow to the head, along with her life, as well. It probably would have been an appropriate end to things at this point, though, or at least Haruka felt it would have been, anyways…

At least the fight got interesting after that. Kensei pulled no punches against her and she gladly didn't hold back on him, either. The captain was damn fast, and while Haruka was pretty speedy herself, she wasn't quite up to the captain's level yet, so she wasn't able to avoid all of his hits by sheer speed alone. With some of his hits, she had to pull out feats of flexibility that would have made most people cringe if they'd seen them, and she also used her flexibility to try to land some hits on him. Of course, Kensei dodged or deflected all of them, but he couldn't deny that he was impressed by some of her moves, particularly the scorpion kick that she pulled off.

Also, he had to admit that Haruka was pretty light on her feet, which made sense given her former occupation. That light-footedness allowed the brunette to fluidly go from one move to another, and before long their sparring match started to look like some strange and violent sort of dance rather than a fight. It could have been described as graceful, really, and maybe even elegant to some extent. The two just seemed to move in tandem with one another, like they had done this sort of thing together before. Kensei would throw a punch at her and Haruka would arch and move her body around his arm; she would make her way behind him in the process and try to kick him in the back of the head, but Kensei would duck in the nick of time and try to sweep kick her. Haruka figured that one of her most graceful moments in life had been when she dodged Kensei's sweep kick: she had grabbed his shoulders for leverage while he was still crouched to the ground, and had then hopped over his leg with one of her own and kicked her other leg high in the air and quickly brought it down to knee him in the face. It just plainly looked pretty, but of course Kensei had to ruin her moment by grabbing her leg to stop her gorgeous kick.

The rest of their fight continued on much like that; there was never really much space between the two, and they transitioned between moves quickly and flawlessly. Neither of them managed to land a hit on the other, which Haruka was grateful for since she really didn't feel like breaking any bones that day, and Kensei was as well for similar reasons. The bandit wasn't nearly as strong as he was physically speaking, but he knew that she probably still packed one hell of a punch, and he quite frankly didn't want to have to explain any sudden bruises to his fellow captains, especially if they came from the former bandit. It just would have been…awkward for him.

Even though her face may not have showed it, Haruka was actually enjoying herself. It had been a long time since she broken a sweat during a fight, and she quite honestly missed being challenged. Kensei didn't give her any time to catch her breath, and she had to stay on her toes to keep up with the captain. She hadn't had a good fight like this in a long time, not since she had left her village a decade ago, and she'd be damned if the whole thing didn't make her feel a little nostalgic. Back in her village, Kenshin had been her sparring partner, and while the male bandit had been rather quirky and obnoxious during most things, he always took their fights seriously and gave Haruka a run for her money. Kensei kind of reminded her of Kenshin in that way; granted they weren't anything like each other personality wise, but when it came to a fight, both men put their hearts into it and made it something worth talking about. (Many miles away, back in Haruka's village, Kenshin sneezed so hard that it actually forced him to hit his head against a wall. The rest of Haruka's old group laughed their asses off at him, but poor Kenshin was fruitlessly trying to figure out what the hell had actually brought the sneeze on...)

Haruka didn't know exactly how long they had been sparring, but it had to have at least been an hour. And while she was having one of the best fights of her life, Haruka couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. She felt like she was forgetting something, but she couldn't take her focus off of Kensei to try to figure out what it was. That forgetful feeling bugged her the entire fight, but right when it seemed like they were getting to the good part of their match, Haruka finally realized what she had forgotten. It wasn't something that she'd forgotten really, but it was something, or rather someone, that was missing from this whole scene, and Haruka didn't realize who it was until a green flash came charging at her and Kensei.

Haruka had decided to change her game a little bit, and she was going to try to put Kensei into a submission hold. She was going for an armbar; she had just gotten a hold of Kensei's arm when she saw the streak of green coming towards them. Kensei couldn't see it because his back was turned towards it, and Haruka could barely even open her mouth to try to warn him before that green flash hit them. It really only hit Kensei, but when the force of the hit made him shoot forwards, he ended up taking poor Haruka along with him as quite an unwilling passenger. Needless to say, they got a little tangled up before they hit the ground.

Once the dust cloud that had been made from their impact with the ground dissipated, the two were able to see just how awkward of a position it was that they had landed in. Haruka had landed flat on her back with her legs uncomfortably bent around Kensei's legs, and the rest of Kensei was hovering above her. It goes without saying that when the captain opened his eyes that he, quite frankly, got one hell of a sight. Haruka couldn't decide which would have been worse, if they had landed face-to-face or boob-to-face. Of course, boob-to-face was what they got, so she would just have to use her imagination to figure out how awkward it would have been if they gotten the face-to-face option. And to Haruka's credit, she kept her stoic expression and didn't let her embarrassment take over her facial features, but the fact that her face turned as red as the top of Old Man Yamamoto's head on a hot and sunny summer day betrayed her. Kensei barely batted an eye through the ordeal. Haruka liked to think that it was just because he was shocked that he kept staring at her…features…like he did, but she sure as fuck wasn't going to ask him about it.

"Well, this escalated real fucking quickly," she finally coughed. The fact that Haruka could hear Dokudosu's incessant cackling in her head didn't help a damn thing, either.

"I am going to kill her," he muttered, and Haruka had never seen somebody move as quickly as he did when he got off of her.

"Kensei-baka! Why are you and Bandit-baka fighting?" Mashiro, the cause of the indescribably awkward situation, screeched.

"Why…the hell…would you charge at somebody like that?!" Kensei seethed, and Haruka truly believed that he might actually kill Mashiro this time. She was tempted to just prop herself up on her elbows and watch the scene unfold in front of her, but she was just far too done with this shit to do that.

"Well, this has been…eventful. Thanks for the spar, bro. We should do it again sometime, without Mashiro around to come in and…yeah, I'm outta here," Haruka announced, and she had never Shunpo'd as fast as she did that day to get back to her room, with Dokudosu laughing herself to tears the entire time…

* * *

"Shut the fuck up, you green-haired harpy," Haruka seethed as she slammed her door shut and plopped down in front of it.

"_Oh, Haruka, that was just fucking perfect_," Dokudosu wheezed, finally stopping her laughter.

"Fuck you, fuck you, and just plainly fuck you," Haruka retorted. "That was beyond fucking awkward. How the hell am I supposed to talk to him after that?"

"_Well, there might be a lack of eye contact on his part. I'm sure his gaze will be focused a little lower, yeah?_"

"Go fuck yourself with a cactus."

"_Well now that's just going too far, Haruka._"

"Fuck you."

"_I got the picture, Haruka, really. Just like Kensei's got a good picture of your tits!_"

"I fucking hate you right now, you know that, right?"

"_It's worth it!_"

"I'm glad you find my humiliation entertaining, Dokudosu."

"_Oh my, it actually hurts to laugh now…_"

"Good. I hope you choke, too."

"_Oh Haruka, Haruka, Haruka._"

"That's my fucking name, Dokudosu!"

"_Just why are you so embarrassed?_"

"Oh, I don't know, it's not like his face was right there in my tits!"

"_But I thought you didn't care about him or what he thinks_?"

"I feel like you condescending me right now."

"_Maybe, but isn't that what you said?_"

"Yes, and it's fucking true!"

"_And I thought you had no attraction to him whatsoever._"

"I don't!"

"_Then why are you so embarrassed that he was face to face with your boobs?_"

"'Cuz it's fucking awkward, why else?"

"_But you don't care what he thinks, right?_"

"So? I don't care what a lot of people think, but that doesn't mean that I want them to bury their faces in my boobs!"

"_Fucking hell, Haruka. Will you just admit that you're sexually attracted to the bastard?_"

"The hell did you just say, Dokudosu?"

"_Admit it, you find him attractive and you wouldn't mind a good rut with him._"

"Get the fuck out of my head."

"_What?_"

"You're evicted. Get out."

"_You are fucking hopeless Haruka._"

"Is that what you've been meaning when you said that?!"

"_Yup._"

"That's just…"

"_Just what, Haruka? Can you deny it?_"

"…"

"_Well, Haruka?_"

"I hate you, Dokudosu."

"_So you admit it!_"

"Fuck you."

"_Aw! Haruka's got a crush on her captain!_"

"I will kill myself and take you with me, Dokudosu…"

"_There's nothing to be ashamed of! Hell, he's not bad looking even in my opinion!_"

"Your opinion?"

"_Yes, my opinion. I'm very picky when it comes to men, Haruka, and I refuse to let you hook up with someone that is below my standards._"

"Just…go away."

"_Don't worry, Haruka, you're not as hopeless as I thought you were. With any luck, we might actually get you laid sometime soon._"

"Ugh…"

"_Oh, what's wrong, Haruka dear?_"

"You...him…this day…everything."

"_I know someone that can make you feel a lot better now!_"

"Ugh..."

Haruka had never cursed her zanpakutō so much. The damn banshee just had to go and point that shit out. Haruka could have gone the rest of her life without realizing her attraction to Kensei and she would have died happy. But now, thanks to Dokudosu, she no longer had that option. What an absolute bitch…

_**Author's Note: Well, this is somewhat of a filler chapter, but not completely. Haruka tries to figure out what to do about her brother, Shinji acts weird, Haruka and Kensei have their first spar, awkwardness occurs thanks to Mashiro, and Dokudosu forces her to realize that she wants to bang Kensei. All in a day's work, right? I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and the awkwardness that befell Haruka in it, and please do rate and review to tell me what you thought about it!**_

_**A special thanks to Aye-Sir, EeveeCollector, kolulu100, KeinoftheSOS, niteshine, Lone-Wolf-Ranger, hunter2424, Friggatriskaidekaphobia, TheTruthSeeker, Kyoko123, vnienhuis, Clymentined, LovelyBones98, Lazy Creativity, MarvelGeek13, ThiefWicker, CrazyEllaphant, scarlet rose white, hardoraku, KiraKittyKat, Therjj, Agnew-San, and LegalAddiction20. Damn there was a lot of you, but I guess it has been a minute since I thanked all of you beautiful people, huh? **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Only Haruka, Zaku, her village and its people, and Dokudosu belong to me. **_


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